


When Usagi wasn't the first reincarnation after Silver Millennium

by Haely_Potter



Series: Self-indulgent self-inserts [1]
Category: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon
Genre: And Serenity killed herself, Canonical Character Suicide discussed, F/F, F/M, Gen, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Self-Indulgent, Self-Insert, Since Sailor Moon is inherently about reincarnation, Tagging that before I trigger someone
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-24
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:34:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 29,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26629882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Haely_Potter/pseuds/Haely_Potter
Summary: When three-year-old Tsukino Usagi recalls memories of a past life, it isn't Princess Serenity's life she recalls, but a life of someone else, someone who knows the name Tsukino Usagi and connects it to a destiny in the making.And that someone else, while despairing over not being the happy-go-lucky Usagi she remembers from the story, decides to make the best of it and prepare for the future the best she can, while barely remembering anything important past Classic Sailor Moon.
Relationships: Chiba Mamoru/Tsukino Usagi, Prince Endymion/Princess Serenity, Senshi/Shitennou, Tsukino Ikuko & Tsukino Usagi, Tsukino Shingo & Tsukino Usagi, Tsukino Usagi & Inner Senshi, Tsukino Usagi & Outer Senshi
Series: Self-indulgent self-inserts [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1937260
Comments: 51
Kudos: 249
Collections: Favorite Self-Insert and OC-Centric Fanfics, oc self insertSI





	1. Prologue: Realizing you have no way of knowing if magic is real

**Author's Note:**

> So I have watched the '90s anime twice, once as a kid, the second time as a teenager, and that's a decade past already. I have yet to finish the manga (though I am enjoying it more than the anime).  
> This is highly self-indulgent wish fulfillment, and will probably never be finished, but I haven't yet seen a proper self-insert fic in this fandom.  
> I have not written anything substantial in years (thanks depression), so don't expect anything impressive.

Usa-chan swung her legs as she sat beside her papa. Mama was having the baby, so they were at a hos-pi-tal. They had been waiting for ages already, and Usa-chan wanted to explore, but papa had told her to stay with him and not get lost, because the doctors were all busy and wouldn’t have the time to help her if she got lost. She saw a vending machine down the hall.

She asked papa for coins for the juice, and, distracted, papa gave it to her.

Usa-chan reached up. Reached and reached. But she couldn’t reach to put in the money. Frustration had tears welling up in her eyes when someone took the coins from her and inserted them.

Surprised, Usa-chan turned to look at the person who helped her. It was a boy, bigger than her but not an adult. His head was wrapped in bandages, so Usa-chan thought he must have an ouchie. But since he didn’t have the Doctors’ white coat, she thought she could ask him for help. “Thanks,” she told him with a bright smile, frustration forgotten. “Can you push the apple juice button?”

The boy nodded mutely and pushed the button like Usa-chan had asked. He was so nice! “Usa-chan is Usa-chan! Who are you?”

The boy shrugged. “They say my name is Chiba Mamoru, but I don’t remember anything.”

“Mamo-chan is nice!” Usa-chan cheered happily, but then frowned. “Does your head have an ouchie?”

“Yeah.”

“Usa-chan kiss it better?” asked Usa-chan, worried for her new friend.

Mamo-chan frowned a little. “I don’t think that’s how people heal. Wouldn’t the Doctors have already tried it?”

Usa-chan pouted. She pulled on his arm, so that he bent toward her, and on tiptoes, the pressed a loud kiss on his bandaged forehead.

Something triggered in the back of Usa-chan’s mind, but at the same moment, papa called for Usa-chan. They could go see mama and the baby now! She sprinted back to papa.

“Hey! Your juice!” Mamo-chan called after her.

“Mamo-chan can have it!” she called and waved to him as papa scooped her up to his arms, rushing them deeper into the hospital.

‘*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’

I stared at my reflection in the full body mirror in mama and papa’s room. Large blue eyes, chubby cheeks and golden hair pulled into two buns atop my head. A bunny on my pinafore dress and yellow crescent moons on my pink house slippers.

All as expected of a three-year-old girl called Tsukino Usagi.

Except… Except.

I wasn’t Tsukino Usagi. Nor was I Princess Serenity. I was someone else. Had been someone else. A _normal_ someone else. Someone else who had watched the ‘90s anime and read the manga _Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon_. Well… almost read the manga. I’d started and had gotten through until the Sailor Saturn thing had started, but had been distracted by real life and never finished. Or… had died before finishing. But I had watched the anime… years ago.

But _how_ could I be Usagi? Had I simply remembered a reincarnation between Serenity and Usagi? Or was my previous life one _before_ Serenity? The person I remembered being wasn’t happy-go-lucky and didn’t have Usagi’s endless faith in humanity, and I didn’t think I _could_ be like the Usagi from the anime or manga I remembered. I wasn’t overly cheerful and outgoing, and I loved reading (if not studying, but at least I read actual books as well as “just” manga) and was a homebody who rarely involved myself in other people’s business.

Besides, was this the anime or manga ‘verse? Not to even mention the live action or Crystal?

Or… was this some alternate college or coffee shop universe without Senshi or Silver Millennium? Just one with all the other characters but with Usagi being _me_?

But then I remembered all the things that might be coming: the Dark Kingdom, Ail and An, the Black Moon clan, those witches, that Dead Circus thing, Nehelenia and finally Chaos. There was no way I’d survive if I didn’t do _something_ , and honestly, this time I wanted to live a full life. And… I _had_ wanted to be special and go on an adventure.

All these things would change me, I knew. Maybe for the better, or maybe for the worse, no one came back unchanged from an experience like the future would bring. _“The Shire **has** been saved. But not for me.”_

First step to surviving the future: gymnastics and some form of martial arts. Second step: learning all the kanji. Step three: learning to run in high heels.

With a first sigh of many, I toddled back to my new room and flopped on my new big girl bed, face buried in the pillow.


	2. Glimpses of the years before Luna (and I am still not sure magic exists)

I clutched mama’s hand as we entered the building my gymnastics class was going to be in. I had never particularly enjoyed excessive exercise, but this wasn’t about enjoyment, this was about survival. Being able to walk a beam (or maybe even a tight rope) or climb a rope or stick a landing might be the question of life and death for me. Mama and papa hadn’t agreed to let me practice any sort of martial art and had turned the argument to a battle of attrition, but one day, I was going to win it.

The group of other tiny girls with their mothers was almost loud with multiple overlapping conversations. Changing clothes, introductions, making friends, you know, the typical things done in the five minutes before the beginning of the first gymnastics class with new people. The things I, as a nearly thirty-year-old woman, was rather bad at with my new contemporaries.

The teacher? Coach? Whatever her actual title was, was talking with the parents, giving reassurances that everything was going to go fine and that us girls were going to be fine in her care for the next hour or so. Mama was gently pushing me towards the other girls and with great reluctance I made myself walk over.

Honestly, I’d rather have been home studying than trying to interact with several girls my physical age, but what can you do? So I smiled and talked about _Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind_ , trying to keep in mind that my conversation partners probably wouldn’t care about the environmental angle of the story, even if I slipped a few times.

Before too long, we were herded inside the gymnasium and were led through some easy stretches. The first move on our agenda was the forward roll.

‘*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’

The happy chatter of four- and five-year-old girls washed over me as I opened the birthday gifts. There were stuffed animals, coloring books and stickers galore, but the one that caught my attention was the most generic, glittery unicorn themed little girls’ diary. I got an idea, because who would read a five-year-old girl’s diary? Unless they were an overly controlling, paranoid parent looking for reasons to punish the child in question, or the same child, just twenty years older and finally moving out.

Before I even finished writing _Usagi_ on the cover with my new gel pens (there were twenty different colors, and I used a different color for every stroke!) mama called us for cake, and the party continued.

That evening I took our dictionary to my room and sat at my desk. I opened the diary on the very first cotton candy pink page and capped the green gel pen.

_My name is Tsukino Usagi._

_But it wasn’t always my name…_

‘*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’

I must confess, I love Hanami. The delicate pink flowers, mild days of spring, hours and hours of time with mama, papa and Shingo, all the good food. What’s not to love?

Mama had reserved a whole roll of film for this outing alone. Last year, she’d only had half-a-roll empty after papa’s birthday, but this year she was prepared. She showed me how to use the camera, which, to me, was ancient. But I got a picture of mama with sakura in her hair and it was really pretty.

I also got a picture of Shingo eating onigiri right before a frisbee hit him in the back. You can see the blurry frisbee in the background.

While mama and papa were soothing my three-year-old brother, I picked up the bright green disc for inspection.

“Hey! Can you throw it back?” called one of the boys who’d been throwing it around on the field not far from us.

I theoretically knew how to throw a frisbee, but had never perfected the art. So I tilted my head and looked at the older boy. “How? It’s not like a ball.”

The blond boy grinned as he jogged over. “Sorry about that,” he told my parents. “Hanzo-kun got a little too enthusiastic with his throwing.” He then turned back to me and took the frisbee from me. He then demonstrated a basic backhand throw without throwing. “You just take a firm hold of the frisbee, bring it across your torso and try to keep it flat when throwing. Do you want to play with us?”

I widened my eyes and smiled hopefully on purpose. Learning to actually throw frisbee would make me feel more confident should I become Sailor Moon. “Can I?” I turned to my parents. “Can I go play with the nice onii-san and his friends?”

Papa gave the boy and his friends a considering look. “What’s your name, young man?”

“Furuhata Motoki, sir, pleased to make your acquaintance,” he said with a small bow.

I _froze_. _Motoki_? His name was _Motoki_? Like the person story-Usagi had a crush on before story-Mamoru? _Motoki_ like story-Mamoru’s friend? Admittedly, still not a Senshi, but more proof that _Sailor Moon_ was more than my fever dream that’d come without a fever.

“Are you coming, Furuhata?” one of the other boys called and jarred me out of my thoughts.

“Very well,” papa sighed. “I am Tsukino Kenji and this is my daughter Usagi. Usa-chan, stay where we can see you, okay?”

“Yes papa!” I agreed instantly and turned expectantly to Motoki-oniisan who, with a laugh, led me to the other boys and their game.

‘*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’

I’d visited the library before, but never on my own. In this life, I mean. In my previous life, dad had been a librarian (and later a union representative), so I had always associated libraries with safety and had frequented them. Now that I was nine, mama no longer expected me home immediately after school and the gymnastics club, and I could begin my search for the differences in this world and my previous world.

I’d been rather well versed in western history, what with my fascination princesses and kingdoms and powerful women, so while I couldn’t be quite sure of any of my knowledge, I could still compare dates and people, if not important wars and battles. But I had little base knowledge on ancient civilizations, which is what I’d have to research for clues of Silver Millennium, if there were any.

Naru-chan, my best friend, I guess, hadn’t wanted to spend the afternoon inside and had instead chosen to go to the park with the other girls from our class. Hanging at the park was not my idea of fun (what were you even supposed to do there?) but I didn’t begrudge her choice. Naru-chan was much more outgoing than me and liked all the running games they played. I still went sometimes, because that’s how you upkeep friendships at this age, but now it was like, once a week, rather than every free afternoon.

And by free afternoon, I meant afternoons I didn’t have gymnastics or self-defense class.

Self-defense class was a compromise my parents had agreed to last year. I’d still have to wait for any fighting training, but learning self-defense was a step in the right direction.

As for my plans of finding any of the other girls, they were moot. The only one whose physical location I knew was Hino Rei-san at Hikawa shrine, but I still wasn’t allowed the freedom to roam even Azabu-Jῡban on my own, even to visit the shrine. And on our New Year visits I never had the time to try to search for her in the crowded shrine. Mizuno Ami-san I had no idea, Kino Makoto-san was in the wind and Aino Minako-san could have lived on the Moon for all I know. Kaiou Michiru-san had been in the papers recently, having won some youth violin contest… in America. Tenou Haruka-san was missing in action. Meiou Setsuna-san I had no idea about. Tomoe Hotaru-san was with her possessed father (or was he even possessed yet?) and I had no way of fighting… were they witches? I think they were witches. And I had no way of fighting the witches yet, so I left the developing Mugen ward alone. Chiba Mamoru-san was also missing, but even story-Usagi hadn’t run into him before the start of the plot. And since there was no such thing as internet yet, I couldn’t even google them.

So, I had to prepare in other ways if I couldn’t locate the others yet. Hence, library.

And it’s not like elementary school work is going to keep me invested for long.

Actually I had tolerated the normal way of being given and turning in home work for a few months in my first year of school, but ended up begging the teacher for all the assignments in one go, so that I could finish it all. My teacher at the time, Takahara-sensei, had been amused enough by my antics that she’d agreed. So far, most of my teachers have agreed to it (as long as I pay attention in class, do my part in any group projects and if I have to read during class, at least I have to read about the subject), and in the beginning of every term, I spend a few weeks working fervently to finish all the individual assignments. I doubt it’ll always work in the future, but if, say, half my teachers give me all the assignments before hand and I manage to get them finished early, then I don’t have to worry nearly as much in case of an enemy attack and that’s one source of stress gone. (Group projects are the invention of Chaos, and I hope we don’t have too many of them in the future, because, you know, enemy action might disrupt a group meeting. And I am going to get at least a university degree before becoming a planetary monarch, just so you know.)

‘*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’

The days I didn’t have gymnastics, I pretty much lived at the library. Except Sundays and Wednesdays. Sundays were rest and family days and Wednesdays were arcade-and-Motoki-oniisan days. But on other days I tried to find differences in this world and the world I remembered. Because magic and comic book science existed here, even if the general public, of which I was part of, didn’t know about it. But… it’s not like I knew much about Japanese history of the ‘80s and ‘90s of my previous world. Well, the economy had crashed in the ‘90s, but it had done so everywhere. And the economy was composed of so many layers and objects that created a complicated web of cause-and-effect that I didn’t believe even my previous life’s foreknowledge would help me much, and that is without considering what chaos the future enemies might bring.

As for schoolwork, it was still easy, even if the amount was… well, rather unreasonable. My system of not staggering the work over the semester worked for me. Yes, I still had to review for tests, but it’s still easier. Also, English is my favorite subject, even with how badly it is taught.

‘*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’

When I was twelve, I found my first fellow reincarnation when Mizuno Ami-san and I started the Jῡban Middle School together. It was the first time I got any kind of confirmation that I wasn’t just superimposing an imaginary plotline on a mundane world, you know, aside from a few printed words about Kaiou Michiru-san, which could have been a completely different Kaiou Michiru-san for all I knew.

So middle school started and during one lunch break, I sat on the same bench as Mizuno-san, but instead of reading schoolbooks, I took out an English novel and settled down to read.

“What are you reading?”

I smiled slightly and looked up from my book. “ _The Dream Catcher_. It’s a Sci-Fi story about post-apocalyptic Earth where humans survive inside Arks. Every Ark has their own specialty, and Ark three, which the protagonist Ruut belongs to, specializes in ESP. The different Arks have no communication between each other in case one of them fails as a society, but Ruut keeps having strange dreams about Ark one, which is a computer-based society.” I gave her book a curious look. “And you? I don’t think those are our textbooks.”

Mizuno-san looked mildly embarrassed as she showed me the cover. “ _The Structure of Scientific Revolutions_ by Thomas Kuhn. It’s about our perspectives of science and how all breakthroughs in science aren’t always from gradual experiments.”

“Oh! Like how Alexander Fleming found penicillin by accident or William Herschel found infrared rays?”

“Yes! Though I’m impressed you know about Herschel, most don’t think beyond Fleming when talking about accidental discoveries.”

“I like history and even physics well enough, and history of science is fascinating. In a way, it is the story of how we got where we are today more than anything else… I’m Tsukino Usagi.”

“Mizuno Ami. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Tsukino-san.”

“You can call me Usagi! Can I call you Ami-chan?”

Ami-chan blushed prettily and nodded. “U-usagi-chan,” she murmured in acknowledgment.

“What class are you in? I’m in class 1-1.”

“I’m in class 1-5.”

“Oh, pity. Maybe we’ll be in the same class next year. Is this where you usually eat lunch? It’s kind of relaxing. Do you mind if I come here too?”

“School just started, and I found this place yesterday. I like the serene atmosphere here, so I think I might return here for lunch, and no, I would not mind the company.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, I had, like a three hundred word summary of all that happened during these years, but it wouldn't have fit with the rest of the story's format, so have these unconnected drable-ish pieces instead. Also, I hate the Motoki introduction scene because it just wouldn't come out and I wrote it like, one sentence at a time with hours between.  
> Also, I have no idea what The Structure of Scientific Revolutions is about, so sorry if Usagi's guess (aka my own guess) is wrong.


	3. Magic IS real! And my not-so-bad first introduction to the male lead... who has no chance to save me

An incessant beeping invaded the royal library. Serenity looked up from the history book she’d been reading, trying to locate the source of the annoying sound.

The dream dissolved as I groped for the annoying alarm clock before remembering: for the past month, it’d been on my desk, because once I was out of the bed, it was easier to get up. If I had the alarm clock within reach, I’d probably just turn the alarm off and go back to sleep.

I buried my head under my pillow, trying to muffle the sound to no avail. Eventually I couldn’t take the noise anymore and got up. Pulling a dressing gown over my nightie and managing to get my slippers on, I headed for the bathroom.

Morning ablutions over, I made my way downstairs.

My dreams had been of Princess Serenity’s life recently, and I wasn’t sure if that was because of the stress of knowing it was all going to begin soon, or if they were genuine memories. Serenity’s life had been… safe. And boring. At least until she’d discovered Earth and Prince Endymion. Before meeting Endymion, Serenity hadn’t known how powerful feelings could be, having been taught since birth to control herself. Benevolent, but detached had been hammered into her skull since toddlerhood. Kind, but practical. The Senshi were her friends, but they were her protectors first and foremost. She had to be able to let go of her attachments if needed, since the Silver Crystal worked on her feelings, and so she always had to think of the greater good first. It’s lonely on the top, and all that jazz. But Endymion had been the first thing she’d wanted for herself. And he’d wanted her for being Serenity rather than Princess Serenity, heir to the Silver Crystal.

Yeah… I could see why Serenity had loved Endymion, even if he wasn’t _my_ ideal guy.

I yawned as I entered the kitchen, pleated hair hanging over my shoulder. Mama was already up making miso soup, and I started helping with the rest of the breakfast and prepping the bentos. The news on the radio were announcing the visit of the D Kingdom’s Crown Princess in the upcoming months, followed by the news that Yumeno Yumemi was finally opening a gallery.

I loved those quiet mornings where I learned cooking by simply observing mama in the kitchen. Japanese cuisine was so different from the western food I’d been used to. I still didn’t particularly like fish or mushrooms or sour things… actually, the sweeter the better had always been my motto in food and it hadn’t changed in this life. But learning basic cooking was a necessity if one wanted to adult at least almost properly…

My thoughts drifted to my previous mother and out cooking sessions and wondered how she had coped with my death. Death had seemed like a constant theme in my last years, beginning with the death of my grandma, then the death of my grandpa, then the death of grams, then… my death barely a year later. I wondered how my siblings had fared. We’d never been _close_ close, but I’d loved my siblings. And father… who barely showed how much grams’ death hurt him…

With a shake of my head, I brought myself back to the present. The radio continued to present the news of Sailor V’s recent escapades in London, stopping a smuggling ring just yesterday.

Soon, I guessed, I’d find Luna. Or Luna would find me. Whichever. And I’d meet Chiba Mamoru. At least I shouldn’t have failed the English pop quiz Haruna-sensei had given us the day before, so hopefully our first meeting would be more amicable than in any canon?

Trying not to jinx myself, I closed the lid on my bento and started making tea. Papa and mama drank coffee, but to me coffee had always tasted too bitter. Sweet milk tea was where it was at. That, or hot chocolate.

“Thanks for the help, Usagi-chan,” mama smiled and bushed a hand on the top of my head.

“No problem,” I answered with a small smile. “About that cat…”

Mama sighed but smiled fondly. “You have been very responsible lately. But Shingo…”

“Is afraid,” I sighed. “But it’s not like he’d have to see it often. We can shut the cat into my room if he intends to spend longer in the living room. It’d do him good to get used to cats. What if he’ll have a girlfriend who has a cat? Besides, wouldn’t it be nice to have company during the day? Often the earliest Shingo and I come home is by dinner and papa is never home during the day.”

“Convincing arguments, miss Tsukino,” mama chuckled. “Go on up to get ready for school. We’ll see about the cat.”

I hummed as I made my way up the stairs. It wasn’t that I _wanted_ a cat, per se, but otherwise it would be out of character if I just brought Luna home in a few days, so a year ago I’d started a slow campaign to get a cat. Shingo, being afraid of cats as he was, was the most against it, obviously, but he wasn’t our parents and couldn’t forbid me from having a cat. Mama and papa had slowly warmed up to the idea, so they would probably let me “keep” Luna once she showed up.

Hair in the customary odangos (and my hair was so _thick_ and _long_!), school uniform a little rumpled but not worse for wear, hiding my black shorts underneath (no pantyshots of me, thank you very much), and school bag checked, I sidled back into the kitchen where papa and Shingo had appeared and were eating breakfast.

“Morning, everyone,” I called as I poured myself tea into the pink-on-white bunny themed mug Shingo had gotten me for my birthday.

“Good morning, Usa-chan,” papa said and handed the comics part of the newspaper to me as I sat down. “What’s on today’s agenda?”

“Morning, neechan,” Shingo quipped. “I have baseball practice today, so I’ll be home late.”

“Nothing important, but I think I’m gonna hang out with Naru-chan at the arcade today.” The easier to meet Mamoru and all.

“You’ve been going to the arcade a lot recently,” papa commented. “Make sure it doesn’t affect your grades.”

“I really like the new Sailor V game they have. And Motoki-oniisan is cute, even if he has a girlfriend.”

Papa choked on his coffee.

“Troll,” Shingo muttered into his rice.

“Goblin,” I returned under my breath. “I should have wished you away when you were a baby. I would already _have_ a cat.”

“As if _any_ king would agree to your pleas, hag.”

 _You might be surprised_. “At least they’d hear me, dwarf.”

“The neighboring kingdoms would hear you too, foghorn.”

“How nice of them to listen to the smart sibling, nincompoop.”

“Enough of that you two. Shingo, aren’t you in charge of you class’ morning arrangements this week?” mama intervened.

Shingo drank the rest of his miso soup and hurried out of the kitchen with a backwards wave. “I’m gonna go! Bye, see you at dinner!”

Once the front door had slammed closes, us three remaining Tsukinos chuckled before returning to the breakfast.

“Now, what was this about a cute boy?” mama asked after a while.

“You know Motoko-oniisan,” I rolled my eyes. “He’s cute, I have eyes. Nothing wrong with appreciating free eye candy.”

Papa choked on his fish this time.

“Most men don’t appreciate being called eye candy, Usagi-chan,” mama said as she patted papa’s back.

“Most women don’t either, but women are often treated like they are anyway. If they are going to treat me as a discardable sexualized object, they can’t complain when I return the favor,” I answered frankly. “Since sexuality is part of human nature, I don’t think we’re ever going to move past it completely, but the treatment should at least be equal between genders. Given, I’d appreciate if they didn’t stare at me while I’m still this young, but what can I do.” _Yet_.

I drained the last dregs of my tea and got up. I put my dishes to the sink, took my bento, gave a kiss to both my parents’ cheek and flounced out. “I’m leaving now, see you later!”

It’d be a leisurely walk to school.

Until I saw a group of brats too young to go to school chase and catch a black cat.

 _And so it begins_.

“Hey! Leave that cat alone!” I shouted, using my best imitation of mama’s expectant tone. It was a mix of _I-expected-better-of-you_ and _you-better-do-as-I-say_ that every mother had.

The brat gang looked up from their prey and ran off at the sight of me. The black cat already had one plaster on her forehead.

I crouched down in front of the cat and held out my hand to it, to let it sniff me. Vaguely I remembered that when Luna’s crescent moon was covered, she… lost her abilities? Or something? But until she spoke to me, I’d treat her like any other cat.

Cautiously Luna sniffed the offered hand but ignored it after a few seconds and started trying to dislodge the plaster on her head.

“You want that off, huh?” I murmured as I reached over. Plasters on fur weren’t very hard to get a hold of, but the glue might still pull a few strands off. “This is gonna sting, so let’s make it quick, okay?”

With a quick jerk, I had the plaster off Luna’s forehead and scratch marks on my hand from Luna’s retaliation. Ignoring the sting, I smiled at the black cat that had jumped a few meters from me to perceived safety. “Such a pretty kitty,” I cooed and straightened. “Bye kitty, stay safe!”

My pace was quicker than before, as I planned to stop by the Crown Arcade to see if Motoki-oniisan was inside. I _could_ wait until school, but… _eye candy_.

As I entered the nearly deserted arcade, I found Motoki-oniisan in his school uniform by the counter with a boy in a similar uniform, but with black hair where Motoki-oniisan had light brown.

“Good morning, Motoki-oniisan,” I greeted. “Do you mind if I wash my hands behind the counter?” I held up my hand as an explanation.

“Usagi-chan, good morning! No, of course I don’t mind. Are you sure you don’t want a disinfectant or something?” Motoki-oniisan called and reached under the counter for a basic first aid kit. “What happened?”

“Some brats were bothering a cat, putting plasters all over it. I got them off, but the kitty scratched me in thanks,” I explained and reached the sink behind the counter, ignoring the offered disinfectant spray. “Are you working this afternoon?”

“And every other afternoon until I graduate high school at least,” Motoki-oniisan chuckled. “You’ve been coming by a lot lately. Not that I mind.”

I looked him up and down meaningfully, drying my hands on a paper towel. “That’s hormones for you.”

The black-haired boy chocked back a chuckle at the counter.

I glanced at him as I walked back towards the doors. “Thanks. I should get going. Have a nice day at school and see you later!”

As I walked briskly to school, I thought back to the boy. He… was probably one Chiba Mamoru. And he was in high school, not college. So… manga ‘verse? Or… Crystal ‘verse? Not that I even knew anything about the other anime series.

The boy – and he was still a boy, not a man – had been cute from what I had seen from the corner of my eye. In a year or so he’d be the epitome of “tall, dark and handsome,” once he grew a little more used to his new height and built up a little more muscle. Just a little. (My little brother had been twenty-three when I’d died, and I still couldn’t think of him as a man, even though he’d moved in with his girlfriend a few years ago.) Not much to show for personality yet, but from what I remembered the story-Mamoru had been… reticent. I was no chatter box either so I couldn’t exactly judge him for it.

‘*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’

98.

The test score mocked me. Two measly grammatical errors. Which, really, weren’t even wrong, just not what the book taught.

“You did really well, Usagi-chan,” Naru-chan enthused next to me as we walked to the arcade. “I wish I’d gotten a 98.”

“If Haruna-sensei wasn’t forced to grade our tests by the book, I’d have gotten a 100,” I sighed and slipped the test back to my bag. “Enough of that. How about some _Sailor V_?”

“Ready to get your ass kicked?” Naru challenged as they waved to Motoki-oniisan who was busy with other customers.

“Hah! Bring it!”

It really was a pity the arcade _Sailor V_ was a one player beat down. It was why I preferred playing the console version with Shingo. On the arcade machines, we could only compete for the scores, not against each other or cooperate in-game. If only the arcade had console games…

My eyes drifted to a small, unremarkable wall mounted box near the counter that read _SUGGESTIONS_.

“Ugh,” Naru-chan groaned once she turned to look at me. “I know that look. What is it this time?”

“Well… wouldn’t you like to play the console _Sailor V_ –game here? A few TVs and sofas and bean bag chairs and consoles…” I trailed off. A place for those that weren’t interested enough in video game to have a console at home. A place to see if the game was worth buying. A place for social gaming before online gaming. “Pay-by-the-hour kind of thing.”

Naru-chan tilted her head thoughtfully. “But consoles are so much smaller and would be easier to steal…”

“TV stands with lockable cabinets. The employees could change the games,” I offered immediately. “Or they could have a few staples that aren’t changed…” That’s what I remembered from my past life. Not the console arcade thing, but establishments that had console games for kids left one game in and that was that.

 _Sailor V_ forgotten, I took out one of my notebooks and started scribbling down ideas. I barely noticed as Naru-chan steered me to the counter.

“Whatcha working on?” Motoki-oniisan asked as he slid a triple chocolate milkshake to me.

“I’m going to keep this arcade from going out of business,” I answered as I took a sip from the straw, not looking up from my notebook.

“The arcade is doing well enough,” Motoki-oniisan sounded surprised.

“Game consoles and other home entertainment systems are getting more popular. Even now, the cost-effectiveness of console games is better than those of the typical arcade machine. In a few years when the technology has evolved and prices have gone down more, almost anyone could have a dozen or more games at home. It’d be a pity if a whole generation of teens isolated themselves home to play games alone, when, if we do something right now, we could instead offer them a social experience,” I finished writing with a flourish and looked up at Motoki-oniisan with grin. I tore the page from the notebook and offered it to him. “I don’t know the actual numbers, but they should be easy enough to find.”

“Huh,” said someone beside me. “That’s actually a good point.”

I turned to look at him. It was the boy from that morning.

He offered a slight bow. “Chiba Mamoru.”

 _So it **was** him_. “Tsuniko Usagi,” I answered as I returned the greeting. He had such nice eyes.

He snorted. “No way is that a real name.”

“Yes it is, and it’s _mine_.”

A spark of interest flashed in his eyes. So he liked that I could and would speak back to him. Good to know. “You’re more of an Odango Atama.”

“You need to do better than that, you scruffy looking nerfherder,” I shot back in English.

“Who are you calling scruffy looking?” he asked with a widening smirk, also in English. “You despise me, don’t you?”

I had no idea if that was a quote, but it fit my _Casablanca_ comeback. “If I gave you any thought I probably would.”

“There’s a name for your kind of lady, but it isn’t used in high society… outside of kennels.”

That was a funny one, but I didn’t know where it was from either, so I answered with one of the crudest movie insults I could remember. “I don’t like your jerk-off name. I don’t like your jerk-off face. I don’t like your jerk-off behavior, and I don’t like you, jerk-off.”

“That’s what I thought. You’re a gutless turd.” Hah! _Breakfast Club_!

“You’re a strange, sad little man and I pity you.” This wouldn’t make sense to him, since _Toy Story_ hadn’t come out yet.

“I fart in your direction. Your mother was a hamster and your father smelled of elderberries.” _Monty Python_. Classic.

“Finally! Someone who speaks English!” I declared gleefully. It was also a quote, but not a relevant one for another two decades. “And watches western movies!” I spun to Naru-chan and switched back to Japanese. “Congratulations, you don’t have to come watch the new Terminator with me! I have a new movie buddy!”

“Wasn’t the first Terminator an action/horror flick?” Motoki-oniisan whispered the Chiba-kun.

“With an R-rated scene,” nodded Chiba-kun.

I turned back to them and shrugged. “Unless you’re interested in the new Disney movie in a few months.” The challenge was clear.

“And you’re sure you want to go with me?” Chiba-kun asked, skeptical eyebrow raised.

“Motoki-oniisan seems to be your friend… _He is your friend, right_?” I whispered loudly to Motoki-oniisan who nodded with a long-suffering smile. “Since you are Motoki-oniisan’s friend, you must be a good person, and as we’ve already established, you have a good taste in movies, so I don’t see the problem.” I gave Chiba-kun a blatant once-over. “And you’re easy on the eyes. Also, I do not think you’d actually be interested in me for at least a few more years, so you’re safe to practice flirting with. And if the boys in school think I alr-“

Naru-chan finally slapped a hand over my mouth to stop my list of reasons. “Sorry about her, sometimes she lacks a brain-to-mouth filter.”

Chiba-kun threw back his head and burst out laughing. “You’re a funny girl, Tsukino Usagi. I’m here most afternoons, so lets talk about the movie plans later. Motoki-kun, I’ve got to run now, but I’ll see you tomorrow. See you later, girls!” With a nonchalant backward wave, Chiba Mamoru left the arcade, occasionally still chuckling to himself as he walked away.

“I’ve never seen Mamoru-kun laugh like that,” Motoki-oniisan commented.

“So, take a look at my suggestions and tell me what you think,” I returned to the original topic.

“We can play _Sailor V_ while you do it,” Naru-chan added.

“I’m gonna drink my milkshake before joining you,” I waved her off. Cool, refreshing milkshake after hours inside a badly ventilated classroom in the middle of summer… And still a week until summer vacation.

“Okay!”

‘*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’

After spending a few hours at the arcade, I followed Naru-chan to her mother’s jewelry store where they were having a sale. Though going by the throng of people in the store, it was like OSA-P was the last candy shop open before sugar was made illegal.

Osaka-san was advertising the low prices on megaphone, and I had never seen the normally very elegant woman behave with such vulgarity.

“Is your… mom okay?”

Naru-chan sighed. “She was acting strange this morning when she just… announced the sale. Normally our sales are planned months in advance.”

“Well… call me, if she gets weirder,” I eventually said and squeezed her hands in sympathy. “Or the police. I’m gonna head home. See you tomorrow, Naru-chan.”

“Yeah, see ya!”

‘*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’

Digesting my dinner, I flopped on my be with a novel while Amade Yusuke’s latest release played on my cassette player. I could barely wait for the internet and the digital age. There was still over a decade until YouTube…

Lost in Anne Shirley’s adventures in Avonlea, I didn’t notice the window in my room opening until a cool draft made me shiver.

On the windowsill was the black cat from the morning – Luna.

“Thank you for taking the plaster off this morning.”

Over the years, many answers had flittered through my mind, but I’d settled on a mild one.

“I shouldn’t have eaten that second piece of cheesecake after dinner,” I sighed. (There hadn’t even been cheesecake at dinner, but when in doubt, always blame the cheese.)

“I’m not a hallucination, Usagi-san,” Luna tsk'ed. “Actually I have been looking for you.”

“Of course you’re not a hallucination. I mean, you just look like the cat I’ve been dreaming about since I was a kid.” Sarcasm was strong with this one. “Next you’re gonna tell me about some grand destiny and how the world needs me.”

Saying it was a little unfair, as I was actually almost looking forwards to being Sailor Moon, because _adventure_ , but I wasn’t going to make it easy for Luna.

I imagined Luna would have pursed her lips had she been human. “Dreams? Never mind that now, we can talk about them later. You are, in fact, a Solder of Justice, Sailor Moon.”

I snorted. “The dreams never said anything about a _Sailor Moon_ ,” I said, “only about Sailors Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto and Saturn.”

Luna jumped and did some kind of flip in the air, and a golden brooch appeared. Like _magic_.

“Okay, that was cool,” I admitted. “How did you do that?” Was it some sort of hammer space? Personal interdimensional pocket?

“I’ll teach you later. Now, take the transformation brooch and call out _Moon Prism Power, Make Up_!”

I reached for the brooch but stopped just shy of taking it. “I’m not signing my soul away for this, right? Or binding myself into magical slavery or anything like that?”

I knew I wasn’t, but winding Luna up was fun, and I could already see a vein bulging.

“No, Usagi-chan, it won’t bind you into slavery or take your soul or even cut your hair,” Luna sighed. “Just take it.”

I smirked at her and took the brooch. “Moon Prism Power, Make Up!” I said, trying to regulate my volume, because mama, papa and Shingo were all home.

‘*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’

“Hey! Let Naru-chan go, you Halloween prop reject!” I shouted as I barged through OSA-P Jewelers’ front door. If it were up to me, I’d just have attacked without announcing myself, but Luna said we had to gather information first.

“And just who do you think you are?” the youma growled and let Naru-chan fall limply to the floor.

 _Oh god, I hope this is the only time I have to do this…_ “I am the Pretty Guardian of Love and Justice in a Sailor Suit! Sailor Moon! In the name of the Moon, I'll punish you!”

“You’re Sailor _what_? Are those moves supposed to scare me?!” the youma taunted. “Now arise all of you vassals who have given you energy to our great Ruler, awaken and attack her!”

The twenty or so unfortunate shoppers who had been in the store when the energy drain began, slowly rose to their feet. I was vaguely reminded of a horde of zombies, as I pondered on my options. Attacking them was out of the question, as they were in actual fact innocent civilian bystanders. Normally debilitating tricks like blood choke hold and pressure point attacks probably wouldn’t do much either, as they were being controlled by dark energy, not their brains. Containment it was, then. Or taking out the youma controlling them.

“Hey Luna, what kind of attacks do I have?” _Only Moon Tiara Action right now, but I’m not supposed to know it!_

I dodged the first patron to reach me and jumped to the stairs behind the counter, wobbling a little on the landing. They led first to the office, storage room and the few private rooms for the very wealthy patrons that liked their privacy, and up once more to the Osaka family home. Being up on the stairs put me on more level ground with the now floating youma and restricted the flow of the brainwashed patrons.

“Take of your tiara, shout _Moon Tiara Action_ and throw it at the youma!" Luna instructed from the door.

Doing as I was told, I took off the tiara that heated up and started spinning. “Moon Tiara Action!”

Unsurprisingly, the tiara hit the screaming youma reducing it to dust.

“Well… this has been a weird dream,” I sighed loudly, suspecting that Tuxedo Kamen was observing everything somewhere. With a surprising ease, I flipped over the banister and landed by the counter. I picked up the phone and called the police.

‘*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’

I closed the front door behind me. “I’m home,” I called as I switched to my house slippers.

“You’re home early today,” mama poked her head out from the kitchen. “If you had the time, you could have stopped by a hair salon, your hair has grown again.”

“I like my hair long, even with how impractical it is. But I had to talk to you. Can we go to the living room?”

At my unusual request, mama’s face became concerned. “Is everything alright?”

“Yes and no,” I answered truthfully. I sat beside mama on the couch, close enough to comfort, but not so close as to infringe on mama’s personal space. “Do you remember those dreams I used to tell you about as a kid?”

“The ones about the Moon kingdom and the princess and the prince she fell in love with?”

“And about the Sailor Soldiers.”

“Yes, the pretty guardians of the solar system. You had such imagination as a kid.”

I clenched the hem of my uniform skirt. “And did you read about the break in at OSA-P? About that Sailor Moon?”

“Usagi, if this is leading to some revelation about vigilantism, I want you to stop it right now. There is a reason vigilantism is illeagal-“

“Well, magic makes most laws impossible to uphold,” I deadpanned. “I wanted to tell you, so that if something happens to me, you won’t wonder what happened, if I just ran away or were kidnapped or, I don’t know, was sold as a sex slave on the back market. The enemies so far have just gathered human energy, but I think they’re looking for something in particular. Please stay away from deals that seem too good to be true or from anyone you notice acting strangely, as the enemy has once already used their victims as zombie-like slaves.

“Sailor Moon is now a part of me, of my life, and I don’t want to shut you out to the point where you barely know me anymore. You’re my mother, and if I can’t trust you, who can I trust? And… I want to be able to trust others.”

“Usagi-chan… why you? Why not someone else? Why not someone older?” mama asked, trying to understand.

“Do you want the short or the long version?”

“Let’s start with the short version.”

“I’m the reincarnation of someone who had the potential to be Sailor Moon but never tapped into it, but with the Dark Kingdom being active, I am needed to defend the planet.”

“Let’s try the long version, then.”

“A long time ago, probably some tens of thousands of years, the Moon Kingdom was the center of the Silver Millennium alliance. All the planets in the solar system held life and civilizations, and were ruled by their respective royal families, often a Sailor Senshi or someone with the potential to be a Senshi on the throne. Earth was the Moon Kingdom’s protectorate state, but since its civilization hadn’t evolved to the point of producing a Sailor Senshi, it was considered to be a backwater place. For thousands of years, it was peaceful, until a malevolent spirit started to manipulate and possess and brainwash the people of Earth, turning them hostile and violent, leading to a war. I’m not quite sure what happened, but life on other planets were wiped out, Earth’s development was set back thousands and thousands of years and the malevolent spirit was sealed away. Now that the malevolent spirit is moving again, the planet needs protection, hence, Sailor Moon and, I suspect, Sailor V. There are supposed to be three other Sailor Senshi defending the reincarnated Moon Princess, while the other four, you know, the outer planet Senshi, are supposed to protect Earth from Outside threats.”

“This all sounds like a fairy tale,” mama sighed.

“Do you want me to transform?”

Suddenly mama pulled me to a tight hug. “No need, I believe you. You’d never lie about something like this. My brave little girl.”

Tentatively, I wrapped my arms around mama. The hug felt so warm and safe, and though I knew the feeling of safety to be false, I relaxed into it. This was mama, after all.

“Wait,” mama said and pulled back just enough to look me in the eyes. “Is this why you were so intent on learning martial arts?”

“If the dreams were true, I’d need them, and if they were just dreams, I’d know how to defend myself. It was a win all around.”

Mama laughed and pet my hair. “Always so logical. Multiple reasons for every action.”

“Too lazy to do anything without multiple good reasons, more like,” I muttered back.

“Yes, my lazy daughter who wakes up every morning to help me with breakfast, does taekwondo two times a week, tries to take care of all of us and still finds time to keep her grades up. Yes, very lazy indeed,” mama teased.

“I just don’t want to be useless,” I whispered, head filled with memories of my last life when depression had robbed me of most of my will to live, leaving me a useless lump on my bed most days for over a decade.

“And, uh,” I continued, louder this time. “About that cat… I have this advisor in Sailor Moon stuff, her name’s Luna and she’s a cat. Can I keep her?”

“An advisor? Cat? Can you speak to animals, then?”

“Oh, no, not at all. Luna actually speaks… well, for all I know she speaks some universally translatable language that just sounds like Japanese to me. And one more thing? Can you tell papa about the Sailor Moon thing? To me he’s just gonna go all _Grr_! _Not_ _my_ _little_ _girl_! _You’re_ _staying_ _home_!”

‘*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’

“I told my mother about being Sailor Moon,” I said that evening when Luna climbed in through my window.

“What? Why?!”

“Because she’s my mother and deserves to know in case I go suddenly missing, and why my lunch portion has to double in size.”

“Oh for Selene’s sake!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sailor Moon timeline is really screwy, so... this story starts in '91.  
> And, since Usagi is already 14 when she meets Luna, it must be after June 30th. But, because Mamoru is still sixteen and not seventeen, it also must be before August 3rd. And since they are clearly still going to school, I have timed the beginning of the manga, which this is mostly based on, somewhere between July 1st and July 20th (aka. the beginning of summer vacation). So here we are.  
> Also, when the youma aska "You're Sailor what?" it's because Sailor V (aka. Minako, aka. Sailor Venus) is active in London and so far the only active Sailor Senshi. And/or no one had warned them about a possible Sailor Moon, just the other Senshi.  
> As for telling Ikuko... well, I always thought it'd be easier, and since Usagi won't tell anyone of the other reincarnation for a while yet, I wanted her to be able to be honest about some things.


	4. The movie (not)date, I need saving from myself, and Ami-chan has questions (and a POV change, but don't tell Usagi that)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> References to canonical suicide, so, warning about that.  
> Also, last chapter has been edited since posting, because I accidentally left half of Usagi and Luna's meeting out. It's just some relationship establishing stuff, so, not Important important but still important. Ryu Hayabusa mentioned in a review that the scene could use more meat, so I checked what exactly I'd posted. So, thank you.

Transforming was such a strange feeling. It was like every sense I had got a power boost, right down to my sixth sense.

I was so lucky summer vacation started only a little over a week after meeting Luna so that I could get used to everything. Meditating in moonlight seemed to enhance the more esoteric powers, like sensing negative energy. With practice I could also learn to sense humans, which proved to me that there was more to the Senshi powers than either the manga or anime had gone into, as I'd always suspected. I hoped I might learn to sense other Senshi, because for all that I knew the names of the other Senshi, I couldn't be sure the people I met were them. I'd met Ami-chan in school and she hadn't felt any different from the other students around us.

Now, instead of going to the library every day, I trained as Sailor Moon. Since I’d dropped gymnastics in favor of taekwondo, I hadn’t done that many cartwheels, flips, rolls and jumps. Just getting used to the giant leaps that felt more like flying took a few days, and I imagined it was like how John Carter felt when he first woke up on Mars. Learning to land and properly aim my jumps took a little longer. And more than a few abandoned buildings suddenly became structurally unsound as I learned to regulate the power of my jabs, punches and kicks. I also asked Luna about what I should do about the brainwashed victims, if I had sleep inducing or cleansing attacks, and got told about _Moon Tiara Stardust_ and got handed the Moon Stick. Luna was confused as to how it wasn’t instinctive to me to be Sailor Moon, but it’s not like I could tell her I’d never been a Sailor Senshi before like all the other Sailor Senshi Luna was supposed to gather to protect the Princess.

I wondered about the Moon Stick. Could I give the other Senshi back their memories of the Silver Millennium? Would they want them back? Would their personalities and selves merge, or would there be a fight for dominance between their personas? What about Mamoru, or the Shitennou? I suppose... it would be up to each individual... except the Shitennou, since I hoped I could free them of the brainwashing.

In the evenings, instead of reading about history, politics or even basics of city planning (a long-lasting favorite subject), I studied battle tactics and containment methods. Public speaking would have to come soon, as would PR and marketing.

It wasn’t until after summer break when Ami very apologetically begged off for our weekly book club because of her new cram school, Crystal Seminar, that I saw Chiba Mamoru again. He was never at the arcade during Wednesday afternoons, which was when I spent a few hours at the arcade.

“Well, well, Odango Atama finally showed up,” he drawled from behind his physics textbook.

“Hi, nerfherder.” I slumped across from him in his booth. He'd talked to me first, it was tacit invitation to sit with him. “Ami-chan has a new cram school and couldn’t come with me for our book club, even though it was her birthday this week and I was supposed to treat the milkshakes. We were supposed to talk about the _Wizard of Earthsea,”_ I explained morosely. “And you’re never here on Wednesdays.”

“I volunteer at the hospital on Wednesdays.”

“I suppose I’ll have to switch around my arcade days then. You’re here on Tuesdays or Thursdays, right?”

“Every afternoon except Wednesday.”

“No wonder we’ve never run into each other before. I mostly come here on Wednesdays.” I flagged Motoki-oniisan down. “My usual milkshake, please.”

“Coming right up, Usagi-chan!”

I took out my writing notebook. I usually didn’t indulge in my old hobby, but when I had surprise free time, I usually worked on a series of children’s books. They were stories about a Moon Princess, and all the problems of being a Princess, like learning diplomacy, leadership and just ruling.

“Hey Chiba-kun, can you read this and tell me what you think? It’s probably not something you’d read on your own and have no frame of reference for, but everyone else I know have already read the pre-edited version, and I want someone to read it with fresh eyes,” I asked and opened the notebook on one of the finished stories. “There’s supposed to be pictures too, but I’m not good enough at drawing.”

“If you’re sure,” Chiba-kun asked for confirmation as he set his textbook down. “What is it?”

“A children’s story I’m writing.”

“Ah. Okay. Yeah, no frame of reference.”

They fell silent as Chiba-kun read the story. I tried to read the open textbook upside down but couldn’t manage it. Motoki-oniisan brought my milkshake but was called away right after and didn’t have the time to chat.

Some ten minutes later, Chiba-kun put the notebook down. He looked gobsmacked, in a good way. “Well…”

“Start with the language, it’s usually the easiest place to start.”

“Language, yes. Well, it was very easy to understand. The few kanji you introduced were the central theme of the story, and the sentences were very simple. The target group is girls somewhere between four and ten, right?”

“Four and eight actually, but good guess.”

“The story itself is interesting enough, and you present the theme of leadership well from different points of view. I like the characters and how they’re actually different from each other. And as it’s dressed as a story of a princess, I can see why little girls would like it. Not anyone conservative though, so if you want to publish them someday, be ready for push back.”

“Old men are always so scared of young women,” I sighed and accepted the notebook back. “Well, of anyone young, but especially young women. But equality between genders is the future, and old dinosaurs can’t fight against progress forever.”

“The setting is quite unique. What prompted you to put it on the moon?”

“The story of Selene and Endymion. Selene was the early Moon goddess in Greek mythology who was later combined with Artemis, the goddess of the hunt. Endymion was a human prince whom Selene loved, but when the goddesses were combined, it became a forbidden love as Artemis is a virgin goddess. In the later stories, about the princess’ teen years, she falls in love with the prince of the Earth, Endymion.”

Because I was watching for it, I saw a flicker of shock in Chiba-kun’s eyes. “And will the love be forbidden?”

“Of course! The average lifespan of a Moon person is a thousand years! Humans are lucky if they get ninety! Think of the heart ache! But I’m of the opinion that better to have loved and lost than not have loved at all.”

Something relaxed in Chiba-kun. A small smile spread over his face. “We share the sentiment then.”

I changed the subject. “So, are you free this Sunday? For the movie? TOHO Cinemas* Roppongi Hills has a viewing at one pm.”

“Sure, shall we meet at the entrance at twelve-thirty?”

“Means I should bring a sandwich or something for lunch so I don’t eat candy for my hunger…”

“We could meet up at noon, get the tickets and have a lunch outside.”

“Nah, that would feel too much like a date.”

‘*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’

Chiba Mamoru leaned against the railing pretending to read a book as he waited for Tsukino-chan. The frank, surprisingly intelligent blonde had insisted on only watching the movie and afterwards maybe having coffee, because anything more “would be too much like a date.” Mamoru wondered about Tsukino-chan’s definition of a date, since he’d heard of some of Motoki’s dates that weren’t as elaborate as this outing. Maybe it was simply the intention? And Tsukino-chan was very clear that this was _not_ a date.

Mamoru ignored the part of himself that was disappointed it wasn’t a date.

He had a reputation, and a middle-school aged girlfriend was not going to be a part of it. As Tsukino-chan said, maybe in a few years. Like when he (or both of them) wasn’t going to be accused of “corruption of minors.”

He had no idea what he was even doing there, agreeing to going to see the movie with her. Sailor Moon had taken to training around this time, what if he got that damn migraine for not transforming with her? That time at OSA-P, he'd thought he was having a stroke. He'd already been about to jump out of the shadows when Sailor Moon had jumped to relative safety of the stairs, and it had only abated completely once the monster was gone. (Why hadn't he curled up on the floor in pain? Why had he moved to get her out of danger?)

He wasn’t sure Tsukino-chan would accept “sudden headache” as a reason to ditch the movie. She probably carried around pain relievers just because.

“Chiba-kun! Hello! Did you wait for long?” the bright voice of Tsukino-chan called over the crowd. Tsukino-chan wore a rose patterned spaghetti strap dress over a white turtleneck shirt. The dark ankle boots and stockings were bound to the attire by a black-and-pink messenger bag. Perfectly suitable for the early autumn day. She looked cute.

“Maybe five minutes,” he answered and put his book into his backpack. He had to pick up groceries on his way home. Sundays were usually his day to prep most of his weekly meals. “Shall we?”

The tickets were acquired, and popcorn and soda were sourced, and for the last fifteen minutes before the movie started, Mamoru and Tsukino-chan sat in the movie theater eating their sandwich lunches. Tsukino-chan liked chicken, didn’t like seafood, and adored nearly anything sweet. Mamoru stopped himself from listing all the sweet foods he could make her. (She was not his girlfriend. He didn’t need to cook to impress her.)

Time travel was a favorite trope of hers and was why she wanted to watch the movie in the first place. Osaka Naru-san, her best friend, didn’t like action movies but would have humored Tsukino-chan by watching it with her in exchange for some romantic drama that was popular right now. Tsukino-chan confided that while she liked the idea of unconditional romantic love, most media didn’t portray it well in her opinion and so she didn’t like watching romantic movies. The only romantic movie she liked was _The Princess Bride_ , a movie Mamoru had not, in fact, seen. (He’d avoided seeing it, thinking it was for the typical teenage girl, but if even Tsukino-chan liked it, it must have more to it than the saccharine, unbelievable romance the name implied. Maybe he’d rent it one of these days.)

The movie was good, and Mamoru was sure he’d like to watch it again someday, when he wasn’t so conscious of the person watching it with him. Because Tsukino-chan empathized with the movie and watching her jump at every explosion and cheer at every victory and cry at every emotional scene and hide behind the popcorn container with every slightly embarrassing or scary scene was… endearing.

He didn't quite understand her. Tuskino-chan shared personal details easily without them being _personal_. The most personal interaction he'd had with her was reading her children's story. It revealed her thoughts and feelings more than any movie quote exchange or literary analysis or food preferences ever could. And he wanted to know more of her, of her thoughts on society and future and history, on politics and leadership and philosophy. He'd never felt this way about another person, let alone a fourteen-year-old girl. (And that was the problem. She was _so young_ , still forming her herself. He was too, but he was further on in the process of discovering himself. But he knew he wasn't looking for a _kid_ to share his life with.) (In a few years...)

The previous Friday had not, in fact, been the first time he’d seen her after meeting her. He’d seen her in the library and coming out of a local dojo and at a café with a blue haired girl the Friday the week before. It was like she was everywhere now that he knew to look for her.

And… had her hair been silver, she’d almost look like the Princess in his dreams.

 _Everything_ about Tsukino-chan gave him déjà vu.

‘*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’

“So you’re the reason Ami-chan didn't even have time for a birthday party!” I protested at the teacher I was fairly certain was a youma. At least… her aura felt all dark and negative and evil and cutting.

“Who are you to barge in like this? These students need to concentrate… to give their energy to our great Ruler!” the teacher proclaimed and shed its human disguise.

“Oh great, you’re Edward Axhand,” I sighed and pulled the fire alarm to empty the building of all non-brainwashed people. “Moon Prism Power, Make Up!”

“What?” I heard Ami-chan ask as she clambered away from the computer, staring at my glowing form.

I had to give it to the Axhand, though. It had manners, not attacking while I was transforming. I wasn’t sure I would have returned the favor. Instead, it tried to force Ami-chan to give her mental energy to the “great ruler.” I really should ask Luna if it was possible to speed up the transformation.

“I am the Pretty Guardian of Love and Justice in a Sailor Suit! Sailor Moon! In the name of the Moon, I'll punish you!” _Oh god, I did it even without thinking_. _Even the hand movements!_ _Did the magic project a suitable background too, or am I just waving my arms randomly in the doorway_?

“Your first question,” the Axhand smirked. “It’s about the genius Isaac Newton. Answer me this: why do apples fall from trees?”

“Since you asked about Isaac Newton, the answer is gravity,” I sighed. There was also the point at which the apple was mature enough and the tree released it, but that was more chemistry rather than physics, and had nothing to do with Newton.

“Onto question two! Now explain to me in fifty words or less what gravity is.”

“Gravity is a consequence of the curvature of spacetime caused by the uneven distribution of mass and energy. This means that things that have either mass or energy gravitate towards each other,” I summarized as I took off my tiara. I’d gotten quite good at aiming it and hoped to first cut off the youma’s hand that was holding Ami-chan prisoner, so that it wouldn’t accidentally kill her while being destroyed. “Moon Tiara Action!”

The youma deflected the attack with its hand ax. The tiara clattered to the ground by the windows, losing its attack potential. “Hah! As if such a small force could even shake me! Take this!” It attacked with razor sharp paper projectiles. As I was running around trying to avoid a death by a thousand cuts and trying to get to my tiara, the Axhand turned back to Ami-chan. “Why isn’t it working? Wait, I know what must have happened! You stopped using the Crystal disk, didn’t you!”

“I did! Studying should be done on your own! Using the disk felt like cheating, you jerk!” Ami-chan retorted.

“Curse your impudence!” the Axhand roared and tried to physically force Ami-chan closer to the computer.

Suddenly a mark flared to life on Ami-chan’s forehead. “Hmm? What’s this?” the Axhand asked and drew Ami-chan’s face up to take a closer look. I, having been briefly forgotten by it, also took a glance. It was the mark of Mercury.

“Ami-chan! Take the pen I gave you and call out _Mercury Power Make Up_!” I called, feeling vindicated I’d been right. Luna had doubted my “feeling”, and I couldn’t wait to tell her “I told you so.” Yes, I’m petty, but being right is one of my favorite feelings. Shingo hates it when I’m right, so it might have come from that…

“A boot to the head!” I shouted gleefully as I kicked the youma in the head to distract it from Ami-chan. "A boot, to the head, hah!" Then almost fell over for laughing too hard at my own joke, because I just kicked a youma. In the head. With my boot. And I continued laughing (because if I stopped laughing I might start crying and/or screaming) while realizing I could die because of its giant ax hand, and the first youma, while terrifying looking, hadn’t looked physically threatening like the one currently in front of me.

My hysterical laughter gave Axhand enough time to recover and nearly slice me in half with its ax hand, and I would have noticed too late, had I not been whisked out of danger by the ever dashing (though this was the first time I’d seen him) Tuxedo Kamen.

“Last time you were very blasé about the monster,” he said, confirming my suspicion that he’d been watching my first battle from somewhere.

“Last time,” I giggled hysterically, “the _youma_ was a grotesque humanoid. This one can manifest bladed weapons from it’s hands like some T-1000!”

“Sailor Moon! Can you concentrate?!” Luna demanded from the doorway. ”You need to destroy the youma!”

“Mercury Aqua Mist!”

Suddenly the whole classroom was filled with thick, white, freezing mist.

“I have to find my tiara,” I whispered to Tuxedo Kamen. “Can you distract Axhand over there?”

I could practically feel his raised eyebrow. “I’ll certainly try. What happened to your tiara?”

“I tried to attack, but Axhand parried the tiara and it fell somewhere by the windows. I’ll try attacking the back this time, so keep its attention on you.”

He nodded his assent as we heard something smashing in the direction of Axhand. “Better hurry.”

With that in mind I ran (crouched, obviously, so as not to attract attention) around the unconscious students at their computer stations to get to the place I’d last seen my tiara. Sounds of banter and smashing and thuds told me that the battle was in full swing.

I found my tiara under one of the desks where it had rolled while spinning. I took it and tried to find the feeling associated with beginning the attack. Now that I was consciously trying, it was… well, it wasn’t instinctive like before, but I’d feel better to have knowledge where and how to start the attack in case I ever, you know, had to teach my child or something. (No, I am not dreading the whole Chibiusa thing, why do you ask? It’s not like she was a brat that annoyed me as a viewer, or how I felt bad for story-Usagi. _I hope I don’t spoil my daughter like that_. **Always have more than one child if you have children** , as mother always said, **siblings build character**. And... I kind of agreed with her. Not naming any names here, but most of the only children I'd known were... well, not well adjusted, let's just say. I suppose I'll be able to state with certainty once I get most of Serenity's memories, then having lived as an only child once and as a big sister twice. Orphans are a completely different category.)

Leaving my near hysterical contemplation of the future, past and children behind, I found the connection to the tiara and pushed energy at it. The tiara in my hand heated up and started spinning. I straightened up and took aim at Axhand’s back, which was conveniently exposed to me while it tried to hack through Tuxedo Kamen’s cane.

 _Moon Tiara Action!_ I thought and threw my tiara, wanting to test if it would work without announcing to the enemy what I was doing. And, yeah, it worked well enough to dust the youma. I was kind of surprised.

The fog cleared and the three of us were left standing in the classroom full of waking students.

“Who are you anyway?” I asked Tuxedo Kamen, because, you know, I didn’t get a chance to ask his name earlier. “I’m Sailor Moon and that’s Sailor Mercury. Thanks for saving me earlier. It just hit me that this is all real.”

“I am Tuxedo Kamen,” the masked man answered with a theatrical bow. “It has been a pleasure, Sailor Senshi, but I must run now.”

And run he did, leaping out the open classroom window and roof hopping into the sunset.

I turned to Mercury, who had been watching us quietly. “Let’s get out of here,” I told her. “You probably have _all_ the questions.”

‘*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’

I let Ami-chan lead me to her room. Her mom was going to be late because of her shift, so we had the whole apartment to ourselves, but Ami-chan was obviously most comfortable in her own space. I asked to use her phone and called mama to let her know I would probably not be home for dinner, while Ami-chan prepared us tea and snacks in the kitchen. Luna had gone to "inform central command."

“I have so many questions,” Ami-chan said as she offered me the chair by the desk and sat on the bed herself.

“I have some answers and possible theories, but Luna hasn’t told me everything. Mostly because she doesn’t remember herself,” I promised. “So far, as I’ve understood, we’re actually reincarnations people who either were or had the potential to be Senshi. You seem to have an instinct in the fighting, one I lack, so I’d say you were Sailor Mercury back in the Silver Millennium too. As far as Luna knows, there was no Sailor Moon, so I have no residual experience in fighting. I’ve just been practicing taekwondo for four years and gymnastics for six years before that.

"As you're probably guessed, we are the Sailor Senshi. Our mission is to find the Silver Crystal and protect it and the reincarnated Moon Princess from the forces of evil, which at the moment, take the form of the Dark Kingdom. In the future, who knows.

“As for the powers, you may have noticed an increase in your senses. I guess this is to alert you to any possible threat. Our physical prowess is also up, we’ll have to do some tests before we can say if the strength varies or is proportional or something. We can also basically fly, though technically it’s just jumping, but saying you can fly sound so much better.”

“Okay,” Ami-chan said and tapped her lips, a small frown on her face. She’s so adorable! “Silver Millennium… there are no historical records of anything like it…”

“I know, I looked,” I agreed. “While Luna says it has been just a thousand years, I’d say it’s more likely it was five or even ten thousand years ago, and that humanity had to start almost from scratch. It would also explain some things, like that all over the world there are similar things like metal clamps, pyramids, dolmens, figures sticking out their tongues and the pine cone like symbol and shape found out through the ancient world. They could easily have been something inherited from the Silver Millennium, but I only have vague dreams about it, so I can’t confirm anything.”

And I didn’t even lie in my explanation.

“Are dreams something I should look out for?” asked Ami-chan

“Honestly, magic is still very new to me, so I don’t know. I’ve had dreams of all kinds: the normal ones where nothing makes sense when you think about them afterwards, and dreams where I… I think I’m on the Moon? And there are these other girls with me. One of them kind of looks like you. It hink the girl is called Princess Mercury? So points for consistency, I guess. And sometimes there’s this young man and my dream self is head over heels in love with him. Or this woman with long silver hair who is my mother in the dream. But I recognized Luna from my dreams, so that lends credence to them being memories rather than just dreams,” I shrugged. “But we… I don’t know what magic can do with or to dreams, so always take what you dream about with a grain of salt.”

Ami-chan smiled reassuringly. “Don’t worry, Usagi-chan, I don’t usually put much stock in dreams and dream interpretation.”

I snorted. “Neither do I, but when Luna showed up, I had to take my dreams more seriously. My stance on them is tentative trust, but verify asap, or at least talk to someone about them if the dream is bad or repeats. I’ve had a few where I ended up killing myself after the dream-boy I was in love with had been killed, but it’s identical every time so I’m inclined to believe it’s real now, but when they first started I didn’t think they _could be_ real and I talked to mama about them and while it didn’t exactly fix anything, it helped a little when mama made me hot chocolate and stayed with me until I fell asleep again.”

“How long have you been having dreams like this?” Ami-chan asked and frowned.

“Since I was three,” I shrugged. “Or so mama says.” I remembered some thing and brightened. "Hey! Do you want to try getting your memories of the Silver Millennium back? I've apparently got a healing attack with my Moon Stick, but, well, today the students were out cold and not being used as puppets, and I couldn't test it out."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *TOHO Cinemas was founded in ’97 as Virgin Cinemas, but I was too lazy to find a Japanese movie theater chain from early '90s as I suspect at least some of them went under in the early '90s recession. But there is, in fact, a TOHO Cinemas movie complex in Roppongi Hills, which is quite close to Azabu-Jῡban.  
> Also, Moon Tiara Stardust is anime only brainwashing freeing attack.  
> And Japanese age of consent is thirteen (!) but in Tokyo someone having sex with a person under that age of eighteen can be slapped with "corruption of minors" charge (and if both participants are under eighteen, BOTH can be charged). All this is current, though, and trying to find English sources on this hard, let alone finding information on past laws. And how and why Mamoru would even know the term (I certainly wouldn't have known), imagine there was some scandal recently in the news.


	5. Relationships are weird and not always equal, I am paranoid (just not paranoid enough), and a theory is tested (results pending further investigation)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So uhh... warning, I guess? Non-consensual touching where one party is unconscious and wouldn't allow the touching even if she was awake.  
> The list of movies Usagi recommends is my own, though as she said, all the eighties animated Disney movies had their good sides.  
> And, sorry, but Sailor Mars is my least favorite Sailor in the whole series (thanks '90s anime), so any interaction with Rei will probably be glossed over even in the future. Just, fair warning.

Naru-chan, Kuri and Yumiko walked out of the classroom with their bentos. They were so involved in their conversation none of them thought to invite me along. I wasn’t close enough with Kuri and Yumiko to just insert myself into the group. They probably wouldn’t say anything about it, but I wouldn’t feel right just… joining them. _I_ certainly wouldn’t welcome someone just willy-nilly joining me, unless I’d given them express permission. Or I was in a really good mood.

From the corner of my eye I saw Umino follow them and sighed in relief. If he was stalking Naru-chan, he had no time for stalking me and overhearing anything important. The rest of my classmates congregated into their normal groups, leaving me out as usual. Not out of maliciousness, but simply because I was all their acquaintance, not their friend. I’d long since stopped caring. ( _Liar, liar, pants on fire!_ )

I got up from my seat with my bento and left the classroom. It was drizzling outside, so most students either stayed in the classrooms or ate at the cafeteria. Ami-chan, whose mother was a busy doctor, almost never had bento, so I headed to the cafeteria to eat lunch with her. I wanted to suggest _Dune_ or _Eight Cousins_ for our next book to read.

Ami-chan sat alone at the edge of one of the long cafeteria tables, reading _The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy_. I pushed down a feeling of uncertainty. Ami-chan was my friend and had said I could eat lunch with her at any time, I had no reason to feel like I was intruding on her time.

I slid into the seat across from her. “Hi, Ami-chan.”

Ami-chan flinched and liked up from the book hurriedly. She relaxed when she saw it was me. A genuine, though small, smile bloomed on her face. “Hello Usagi-chan. I wasn’t expecting you today.”

I smiled back. “I felt like eating with you today. I hope you don’t mind?”

“No, of course not,” she said, marked her place and put her book away. “Thank you for recommending the _Hitchhiker’s_ _Guide_ , it’s been a very amusing read.”

“Isn’t it? I’m glad you’ve liked it. Have you given thought to the…” I trailed off, trying to think of a way to refer to the Moon Stick’s healing without revealing too much to the other students who might overhear us.

“The remedy?” Ami-chan offered. “I have thought about it, but would like more than Luna’s word that it is harmless to anything other than dark energy. Maybe try it on a youma first?”

I nodded. “I thought so too, but if youma’s are just dark energy given form and purpose, it might just disintegrate it, like the tiara does. But there must be someone in charge of the youma,” _the Shitennou_ , “and if we find one of them, I suppose we could see about the effects then.” I paused for a moment. “Does that count as a human trial? Are the people in charge of the youma even human?”

Ami-chan tried to cover her laughter but failed. “Good question. I suppose it’s bad form to hope for a youma attack soon, but we can’t advance in our theories until we have more data."

‘*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’

I peered into the closed off corner of the arcade.

“That’s where the TVs and consoles are going,” Motoki-oniisan said without preamble as he slid into my booth. “I showed your idea to my parents and they ran the numbers. They agreed it was a good idea. It’ll give us a leg up over the competition at least.”

“I’m happy I could help,” I smiled. “This is one of my favorite places.”

“So how have you been, Usagi-chan? There was that month in the summer you spent nearly every afternoon here, but now you’ve gone back to coming by only once a week.”

“I’ve been really busy lately. It was never the same thing twice: a dentist appointment, a course on parkour and free running, Shingo’s baseball game, a shopping trip with Naru-chan, mama needing help with something…” I listed all the things that had happened over the last month. They of course didn’t account for every afternoon, but I couldn’t include training with Sailor Mercury in the list.

“And how was your movie date with Mamoru-kun?”

“Chiba-kun? And it wasn’t a date! But it was fun. We talked about our favorite movies and things like that. His taste in snacks is weird, but I can overlook that. After that, we’ve only seen each other here on Tuesday afternoons,” I shrugged and took a sip of my milkshake. I had really had fun with Chiba-kun, even if his candied squid, roasted baby crabs and giant eel pretzels weirded me out. Seafood was not for me. Tuesday afternoons had become one of my favorite times of the week as Chiba-kun and I spent time playing the arcade games and talking about whatever.

“Well, I’ve never seen Mamoru-kun so taken with someone he’s only known for a few months, so you must’ve done something right.”

“I should hope so, seeing as we’re friends now.”

“By the way, I finally found out where that _nerfherder_ name comes from. Are you aware that Leia-hime and Han-teme end up together?”

I rolled my eyes. “Obviously, I’ve seen all the movies.” _All nine of them. Hah! Take that!_ (Would there even be nine movies? Or even six movies? I know _Phantom Menace_ got a bad rep, but it was my favorite _Star Wars_ prequel. No awkward romance there, just an awkward nine-year-old with an even more awkward crush. And _The Duel of Fates_ is awesome. Though... _midichlorians_...)

“So why did you choose that name to call Mamoru-kun? Does little Usagi-chan have a crush?”

“Not as such, but in a he would be my ideal life partner – in a few years –kind of way. Like, I could imagine him being a supportive husband and a good dad one day, but I’m not actually ready to invest in that kind of relationship yet and do not want to try it yet in case I only get one chance with him. Besides, I’d rather build a relationship on friendship. Though I admit he is my type, physically, I mean.”

“Whoa, you sure are self-aware, Usagi-chan,” Motoki-oniisan said, looking behind me with a meaningful look.

I sighed. I needed to work on my situational awareness. “And Chiba-kun is right behind me, isn’t he?”

“Afraid so, Odango Atama.”

Motoki-oniisan smirked. “I’m leaving you two to talk.”

Chiba-kun slid into his place across from me, and I noticed his ears were glowing pink. He also had a small smirk, more a _I knew you liked me_ than an arrogant _another notch in my belt_ , if you pardon the wrong use of the idiom. And damn him, but I could understand the feeling of being proven right, even if you never said anything out loud. I loved being right.

“Motoki-kun likes to meddle, ignore him.”

“I know,” I sighed. “Sorry if all that,” I waved vaguely towards myself, indicating my feelings, “made you uncomfortable. I wouldn’t have said anything if I knew you were there.”

“No, no, it’s not that. If I’m honest, I quite like you too, and were you a few years older…” he admitted. “We can stay friends.”

“But this is not a promise to wait for me to grow up,” I said firmly and looked him in the eyes. “We can date other people and if in a few years we’re not dating anyone else, we might see where all… this might go.”

Chiba-kun nodded. “Sounds like a plan. Are you still up for that Disney film in a few months? I also kind of want to see _The Addams Family.”_

I smiled brightly, ignoring how fast my heart was beating as I followed the changed subject. “Yeah. _Beauty_ _and_ _the_ _Beast_ , right? I wonder how they’re gonna Disney-fy this one. They completely changed _The_ _Little_ _Mermaid_ from the original short story, even if I understand why. Can’t sell passive suicide to kids. But I liked the music. Let’s hope it’s the same composer.”

“I have to admit ignorance once again. The orphanage didn’t have a VHS player, so we were mostly stuck watching whatever was on when we weren’t studying and after moving on my own, I haven’t had the interest in animated movies.”

I faked an outraged gasp and clutched at my heart dramatically. “Oh no! Poor Chiba-kun! I’ll have to educate you on the children’s movies you’ve missed so far! Okay, so _Snow White and the Seven Dwarves_ is a must, even though I don’t particularly like it. It is the basis of every animated Princess film since the ‘30s. Next up is _Bambi_ , because… because… well, just watch it. You’ll understand. Others would also recommend _Dumbo_ and _Pinocchio_ from the same decade, but I’ve never liked them, no matter how fantastic the films are. From the ‘50s line-up, _Cinderella_ , _Peter_ _Pan_ , _Lady_ _and_ _the_ _Tramp_ and _Sleeping_ _Beauty_ , if only so that I can complain about some of them. From the ‘60s came just two important movies, and only one was animated _: One Hundred and One Dalmatians_ and _Mary_ _Poppins_. Others would also recommend _The_ _Jungle_ _Book_. From the ‘70s _Aristocats_ and _The_ _Rescuers_. As for the ‘80s, honestly, all five animated films have their good sides, but I’d recommend _The_ _Little_ _Mermaid_ and _The_ _Great_ _Mouse_ _Detective_. And, if you like _The_ _Rescuers_ , the sequel came out last year and has much better animation. And that’s just the Disney line-up. _Nausicaä_ _of_ _the_ _Valley_ _of_ _the_ _Wind_ , _Kiki’s_ _Delivery_ _Service_ and _My_ _Neighbor_ _Totoro_ are also absolutely on the list of must-see films.”

“That’s fifteen movies even without the films you said someone else would recommend,” Chiba-kun deadpanned. “And that’s on top of the movies you’ve already recommended.”

I laughed. “ _Labyrinth_ and _Princess_ _Bride_ are classics in their own right.”

‘*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’

I first heard about the cursed six o’clock bus at school. Naru-chan was talking to her best friends Yumiko and Kuri about it, while I sat at the edges of the group. (I felt a small pang of envy but pushed it down. Just because Naru-chan was my best friend, didn’t mean I was hers. In the end, we had little in common, with her still dreaming of the perfect romance, and having a clear future, taking over her mother’s jewelers in time. I had no time for daydreaming, but… she was my oldest friend, all the way back from the beginning of gymnastics, so I tried to interest her in politics and western movies. No luck so far, and with all the Sailor Moon stuff, I already felt we were growing apart.) While Luna was out that evening, I checked my notes about _Sailor Moon_ related memories, but only came up with a mention that Hino Rei-san was the next Sailor Senshi to be found because of something going wrong with some bus. The logical thing would be to assume the cursed six o’clock bus would be the one, and after some research with Ami-chan, we determined that the Hikawa shrine was the last stop before the busses disappeared (which would indicate that these disappearing busses were indeed the doing of the enemy, if you knew Hino Rei-san’s destiny as Sailor Mar). When Luna asked why I wanted to know about the disappearing bus, the answer was simple: anything strange might be related to the enemy. Not everything, but anything.

So if I gave Ami-chan and Luna the impression that I was paranoid, I couldn’t exactly deny the accusation. But it’s not paranoia if they’re really out to get you. And the enemy _was_ out to get me. Us, I mean. I’ll have to adjust my thinking to include other people in my plans now…

Ami-chan agreed with me eventually, and we went on a trip to the shrine between school and Ami-chan’s cram school. Those few hours were normally dedicated to training and learning about our Senshi powers, or spending time at the arcade where Luna said we had the Lunar Command Center. (I… think… that was thing in the manga? But definitely not in the anime. Central command was actually Artemis… I think. Wasn’t Luna pissed at Artemis when he was revealed?)

Nothing of note happened on the trip, other than Rei-san mistaking me for an evil spirit, which, fair. While there, we heard about one of the girls who had gone missing had said she’d be visiting the shrine after school, but had never returned home, and the mother had been rather desperate to find her. Given that Rei-san was known for her psychic powers, I would bet some good money someone sometime soon would come pressure her to find the missing people or even outright accuse her being the kidnapper. I hoped Rei-san would be okay…

Luna wasn’t satisfied with our investigations, as we hadn’t found out anything new, and demanded I return there the following day and ride the cursed six o’clock bus to find out what was happening.

“Why don’t you call Ami-chan?” asked Luna from my arms as we made our way to the back of the sparsely populated bus. “She could scan the-“

When Luna stopped in the middle of a sentence, I looked down at her in concern. She loved talking. “You okay, Luna? Why’d you stop talking?”

“Yeah, Luna, go ahead and start talking again,” came a familiar voice from my right. In surprise I slowly turned to look, and saw Chiba-kun with his unreadable face staring at me and Luna. _He was so cute with glasses_.

“Aren’t you supposed to be volunteering right now?” I asked pointedly, ignoring the comment.

“Today’s Thursday,” Chiba-kun deadpanned. “And what kind of manners are those, Tsukino-chan?”

I rolled my eyes. “Hello Chiba-kun, how are you, wonderful to see you, how’s the weather?”

We grinned at each other briefly before he returned to staring at Luna. “You have a talking cat.”

I sighed dramatically. “You caught me. How will I go on now that one of my many secrets has been revealed to the ever handsome senpai? Next, you’ll find out about the reincarnation and that it was I who ate the last piece of my little brother’s birthday cake.”

Chiba-kun chuckled. “Oh, woe is me, how could I become entangled in the crime that is the disappearance of the last piece of birthday cake. How dare you, enchanting kohai, drag me into this tangled web you’ve woven?”

“Tis the story of chocolate cake, a stormy night and nightmares,” I started dramatically. “There I was, in throes of a nightmare of my kingdom being invaded by our neighbors, my beloved dying before my own very eyes. I gasped awake, still reeling from taking my own life when the situation was hopeless. The storm outside mirrored the one in my dreams, and I could not shake the helpless and hopeless feeling. Trying to rid myself of the feelings, I left my sweat soaked bed and wandered the dark house, until I ended up in the kitchen. Tis not often I find myself in the kitchen during nighttime, but I remembered the chocolate cake from my brother’s birthday just hours earlier. And nothing lifts the mood like chocolate, so I ate it.” I finished the dramatic retelling with a firm nod.

I didn’t tell him that the following morning, my period had started for the first time.

Before he could answer, Luna pricked me with her claws, and I glanced away from Chiba-kun’s smiling profile. Hikawa shrine was the next stop. “Oh, it’s my stop,” I said with a laugh and a wink and pushed the closest STOP request button. “See you later, Chiba-kun!” I called as I slipped out of the bus.

‘*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’

From my hiding place, I saw Jadeite caress Rei-san’s face and hair. It was a pretty picture, if you ignored the fact that Jadeite was a dark General brainwashed to probably kill Rei and me and Ami-chan and all the other people he'd kidnapped earlier, and that Rei-san was unconscious, raising all sorts of flags about non-consensual touching.

“She’s so beautiful…” I heard him mutter.

And I agreed, Rei-san was one of the most statuesque girls I’ve ever seen. But that didn’t mean he should be touching her without her permission.

I told Luna and Ami-chan via the handy wrist communicators that Luna had given us just last week that the enemy looked indistinguishable from a teenage boy, and suggested we try the Moon Stick on him. Luna was skeptical it would do anything, but Ami-chan was encouraging, saying that even if it failed, we’d still get data out of the experience. She promised to have her miniature computer scanning energy signatures the whole time. Which, you know, was part of the reason I suggested it.

At Luna’s urging I withdrew deeper into the shadows of the pillars around me and transformed, sighing in relief when Sailor Mercury teleported into my location at the same time. I wouldn’t have to face Jadeite on my own.

Of course, the bright, flickering light of the transformation attracted Jadeite’s attention, and he had Rei-san in a strangle hold by the time Mercury and I were stepping out of the shadows.

“You’ve finally come, Sailor Moon!”

“Let go of Rei-san right now!” I demanded. “And return all these innocent people! Or, in the name of the Moon, I, Sailor Moon, will punish you!” _Again, damnit!_ I might as well resign myself to it… But it’s so embarrassing or just gives some slightly smarter enemy time to take a shot.

Beside me, Mercury fired off her _Mercury Aqua Mist_ , which Jadeite immediately condensed into small shards of ice. I guess we should be thankful he didn’t use them as projectiles. But it definitely put a crimp in our, well, my, plan to use the low visibility of the mist to get Rei away from him and then use the Moon Stick.

If only Venus was here, she could hold Jadeite captive in her chain while I tried to cleanse him.

“ _Usagi-chan! Why are you hesitating? Use your tiara!_ ” Luna demanded from the headquarters.

“But I don’t want to hurt Rei-san!” I protested.

I could hear Luna’s aggravated sigh. “ _You won’t hurt her, I promise. Now, throw your tiara!_ ”

I still wasn’t confident in my ability to throw my tiara at Jadeite and not hurt Rei-san in the process. And I didn’t want to hurt Jadeite either, just restrain him. “ _Moon Tiara Boomerang!_ ” was the attack that left me.

Jadeite, seeing the tiara whizzing towards him and Rei-san, pushed Rei-san out of the way, apparently on pure instinct, and grabbed my tiara from midair. “Hah! You think this little thing will stop me?” he taunted.

But his smirk disappeared when the tiara wrapped itself around him, restraining his arms to his sides.

I was gobsmacked. _That_ certainly never happened in the anime! I think.

While I was staring at the struggling and cursing Jadeite in surprise, Mercury had thrown Rei-san the Mars transformation pen, and yeah, I’d been right, but until she got a hold of the pen, her presence had been that of a human with lightly trained ESP! (Lightly trained by Silver Millennium standards, that is. By modern Earth standards, she was probably one of the most highly trained psychics on the planet.)

I shook myself into the present and took out the Moon Stick from my personal pocket dimension. _So cool!_ (Aside from the Moon Stick, I’d stored snacks, a first aid kit, emergency cash and a few liters of water in there, you know, just in case. I was also in the middle of an experiment, to see if fresh food could go bad.) “ _Moon Healing Escalation!_ ”

The just transformed Sailor Mars was also accidentally caught in the healing rays of the cleansing, even if only peripherally, but unlike Jadeite, didn’t seem to be suffering. Jadeite on the other hand, was screaming his head off. It might well be comparable to lancing a boil? If your whole soul was the boil and all the puss was the dark energy and Moon Healing Escalation was all the medical attention and healing compressed to a few seconds.

‘*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’

I’d called mama from the shrine’s phone, giving a vague “It’s a Sailor thing,” as explanation as to why I wouldn’t be home in time for dinner. Mama had accepted it and reminded me that my curfew was 9 PM since it was a school night.

With a sigh, I entered Rei-san’s guestroom, where Jadeite was unconscious on the bed. Ami-chan had conducted a brief physical examination, and her best guess was that he was just drained. I could relate, since healing took much more energy than simply dusting a youma. Honestly, I’d wanted to just head home and eat everything in sigh and go to bed, but _no_. We have to brief Rei-san, get her a wrist communicator, come up with a cover story for Jadeite and why he was here and not in a hospital or police station, talk about Tuxedo Kamen who, according to Luna, had seen me use the Disguise Pen and on top of all that, see if Rei-san had any memories of the Silver Millennium as prompted by Moon Healing Escalation.

I flopped onto the big, soft armchair in the corner opposite Jadeite’s bed, and curled my feet under me. My chin rested on my palm. Ami-chan was talking with Rei-san. So hungry... so tired...

“…some dreams since…” “…careful of physically hurting someone…” “…-chan has told her mother, but…” “…is our advisor, but it is likely…”

I lowered my head to rest it on my arms, it felt better.

“…thousand years ago…” “…remember him, I don’t understand…” “…silver crystal and protect the princess…”


	6. Consequences, I sneak to a ball only to do no dancing, and a theory is confirmed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Serenity's canonical suicide will be mentioned rather cavalierly for the rest of the story. It is a subject only Usagi will treat lightly, and might trigger someone, so, warning. I've updated the tags. Also, allusion to victim blaming. Oh! And, you know, talk of brainwashing and violent actions while brainwashed. (Why you wouldn't expect it in a Sailor Moon fic, though, is your fault if you've seen even Classic Sailor Moon.)

I got grounded.

I’ve _never_ been grounded. Like, even in my past life! (My teenage rebellion was going to high school three hours away with barely a by-your-leave to my parents. My little sister, on the other hand, had the screaming rows, groundings, inappropriate boyfriends and dropping out of school. She grew out of it and became a respectable citizen.)

I don’t remember anything after calling mama, but I woke up on a futon in Rei-san’s room the next day close to noon. Rei-san had left me a note that said Ami-chan had called mama the evening before and Rei-san had called mama that morning to excuse me from school. There had been no change in Jadeite during the night, and Luna had promised to spend the day watching him.

I lay in my bed, still drained but not sleepy.

My wrist communicator alerted me to a call.

“Usagi here,” I yawned in greeting.

“ _Usagi_ - _chan! Good to hear you awake!_ ” Ami-chan greeted in return, relief quite clear in her voice. _“Did you get home okay?”_

“Yeah, but now I’m grounded,” I grouched. “Sorry I missed our weekly book meeting.”

 _“It’s not a problem, Usagi-chan. You did something amazing yesterday. Rei-san says she can partially remember the Silver Millennium, some childhood memories and the other Sailor Senshi. As for the boy you unbrainwashed, he no longer emits dark energy. In fact, he seems to be emiting a rather earthly energy,”_ Ami-chan reassured me.

“Has he woken up?”

_“Yes, briefly. We managed to feed him some plain rice and chicken stock, which he hasn’t thrown up yet. He seemed rather disoriented, and said his name was Kishiou Masaya. In the next instance he insisted he was called Jadeite.”_

“Kishiou Masaya*… wasn’t there a nationwide manhunt for the missing high schooler Kishiou Masaya a year or so ago?”

_“I’ll check tomorrow. The library should have-“_

A knock on my interrupted Ami-chan’s answer before she even had the chance to start. “Usa-chan?”

 _“Talk to you later, Usagi-chan,”_ Ami-chan said and the call ended.

“Come in, papa.” I was too tired to bother with siting up.

Papa pushed the door open. “How are you feeling, Usa-chan? Mama said you did something new with your Sailor powers yesterday,” he said as he sat on the edge of my bed.

I took papa’s hand in mine. “The enemy yesterday wasn’t a youma, but a kidnapped, brainwashed human. We just found out he’s that missing Kishiou Masaya kid. Sailor Mars will be taking him to the police station when he’s well enough to walk.” Papa waited for me to continue, as I hadn’t actually answered his question. “I feel tired. Relieved that we could save him. Horrified that he had to go through that. Terrified the enemy is going to kidnap one of you and make me fight you. Glad I’m not alone in this.” _Kind of stupid for wanting this kind of adventure._ (Except… _anything_ was better than the gray dullness of apathy.)

Papa squeezed my hand in his. He was satisfied I’d acknowledged my feelings, because that meant I could start working through them. _Fear is the mind killer,_ after all. But he didn’t prod further, knowing I’d only shut him out. I’d rather deal with my emotions in privacy. “Well, you’ll be relieved to know that all the returned people are fine, if some of them were slightly dehydrated. You saved them. You did well.”

I squinted at him. “Did you write an article on it?”

Papa laughed. “Yes, I wrote a quick piece on it. Sailor Moon and her companions are a hot topic at the moment. Their actions will be closely scrutinized in the future.”

Ah, so he was giving me a warning. I smiled at him. “I guess I’ll pick up that book on PR as soon as I’m no longer grounded.”

“That’s my girl,” papa said and gave me kiss on the forehead. “Do you need help with anything?”

 _The other Shitennou_. “If you could bring home any articles on missing people. Anyone of them might have been kidnapped and brainwashed, and if we know who they are ahead of time, it’ll be easier to plan for them.”

‘*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’

Technically I was still grounded, so I climbed out of my window. Not my brightest idea, but Shingo was home, and as he was the only one in my family unaware of my identity as Sailor Moon, I couldn’t get into an argument with mama over whether or not I ought to go to the D Kingdom’s Embassy’s ball. I’d probably be grounded for another week in the morning, once Sailor Moon was reported to have been at the ball.

Have you ever wondered how hard it is for a teenager to sneak into an embassy ball? For one, the guests are all brought to the front door by a car and the line inside is being observed and photographed by journalists all the time (one of which is my dad). And for the second, the service staff most likely have worked together long enough to know each and everyone at least by face if not by name, so good luck trying to sneak in through the service door.

Luna wanted us to be inside the embassy, in case the famed jewel was actually the Silver Crystal (not!), but personally I felt it would have been easier if we’d just stayed outside as Senshi. Close enough to react if something happened, but far enough to not need ball gowns.

Ami-chan and Rei-san managed to get inside using the invitation Rei-san’s father had sent her with a demand to show up and represent him well to his politician acquaintances. I, on the other hand, scaled the back wall, snuck through the garden and scaled once more to the second-floor balcony. Music sounded out of the open French doors. Luckily the balcony was empty, and with the Moon Pen I changed into a gorgeous, well-educated princess.

Once the twinkling lights died down, I heard a cough from behind me. _Constant vigilance, damnit!_

In a whirl of gradient rose silk I turned around, heart hammering. But I hadn’t sensed anyone! Had I been caught-?

The familiar masked man stared back at me, cheeks red. He’d seen the transformation. Again.

Thank Selene it was only him!

“Good evening, Tuxedo Kamen-sama,” I said with a friendly smile, trying convince myself my heart was beating rapidly out of surprise rather than because of him.

“You play hard and fast with your secret identity,” he said, trying to sound disapproving.

“Yeah, well, some of us don’t come ready for battle and ballroom with the same transformation,” I pouted at him. “Have you tried climbing marble pillars in high heels and long skirts?”

“Can’t say I have.”

“Neither have I, and I have no intention of trying either. There are easier ways to kill myself.” _Like your sword through my-_

He sighed and shook his head. “You here for the sacred treasure?”

I rolled my eyes and leaned against the wall. “Luna thinks it might be the Silver Crystal and Princess D might be our Princess. I’m not convinced. But the Enemy might appear, and that’s why I’m here.”

He was watching me intently. “You haven’t been transforming at all this past week.”

I could hear the question he refused to ask. “I’ve been grounded. Healing takes much more out of me than simply dusting youma does, and I fell asleep at Sailor Mars’ place. I missed a day of school because I was so drained. Mama wouldn’t have made a stink of it if I’d passed out at home.”

“Do your parents… know?”

“Yeah, I told mama like the day after OSA-P. She told papa at my request. They’ve been accommodating, but even they have their limits. What about you? Do you parents know?”

“If the dead can know anything, then sure.”

“You do realize that of the two of us, at least I am a reincarnation, right? So the souls of the dearly departed might well know what we’re up to on this mortal plane.”

He looked intrigued. “You believe in souls?”

We, or at least I, forgot the ball inside the embassy as we dwelled into the philosophical debate of the definition souls and what they meant for the bigger picture. Once you got Chiba-kun talking, he could talk for hours. And I loved it. Eventually we migrated to the stone bench and sat facing the moonlit garden. Every once in a while, a server would walk by and offer us hors d’oeuvres or champagne. (I declined the champagne for the both of us and asked for anything non-alcoholic. The server returned with an indulgent smile and glasses of the punch before alcohol was mixed in. It wasn’t even that I’m particularly against (slight and responsible) underage drinking, I’ve just yet to find alcohol that tastes good.) It was a pity that the light pollution of Tokyo made the night sky void of most stars, otherwise it would have been perfect.

Our tranquility was interrupted when the possessed Princess D came barreling down the wrap around balcony, shouting about how soon all of us would be slaves to her Great Ruler.

“Duty calls,” I sighed and raced after her.

Sailor Mars and Sailor Mercury cut off her path, and I ducked into the shadows to transform. The girls were wondering if Princess D was possessed, as she didn’t appear to be a youma nor brainwashed like Kishiou-kun.

Tuxedo Kamen blocked her retreat. All three of them were boxing Princess D in.

But none of them dared to attack.

Once again I wished Venus was here. She could have restrained Princess D while Mars worked out a way to free her from the possession.

Then I remembered my tiara, my own restraining weapon, had disappeared during the previous battle. And since I hadn’t transformed even once since then, that had completely slipped my mind. Or I’d kind of expected it to regenerate when I transformed? Like, I’d ripped my Sailor fuku in training, but the next day it had been like it had never happened.

Also, my experiences with possession were limited to watching _Supernatural_ , which mostly dealt with western mythologies, and I didn’t know a Latin exorcism! If it would have even worked!

I took a deep breath. Story-Usagi had managed somehow?

I took out the Moon Stick. _Moon Healing Escalation_ was a healing-based attack. In this situation, I needed a cleansing-based attack. I glanced at the barely waning moon. In for a penny, in for a pound.

“ _Moonlight Purge!_ ” I called. The moonlight obeyed my will, congregated in the Moon Stick and washed over Princess D, driving out the shadow possessing her. Princess D slumped forward but was caught by Tuxedo Kamen, who gently laid her to the ground. “Now Sailor Mars!”

Sailor Mars threw her ofuda at the weakened shadow. “Evil spirit, begone!” she chanted and the ofuda, along with the shadow, burst into flames.

‘*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’

When I eventually ambled downstairs the following day, I was met with an empty kitchen.

There was an envelope addressed to me stuck on the fridge. In the envelope was a news paper article (not papa's) of Sailor Moon saving Princess D at the ball, and a letter.

_Dear Usagi,_

_Since being grounded did not seem to work, you will be doing ALL the normal Sunday chores, TODAY, while your papa, brother and I spend a day at the aquarium. Everything better be ready by 6 o’clock.  
Had you just asked, I most likely would have let you go.  
Good job with the Princess._

_Love,  
Mama_

Tiredly, I glanced at the clock.

At least it was still before noon.

‘*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’

Kishiou Masaya showed up at the Hikawa shrine a week after the D Kingdom’s ball.

Rei-san had called Ami-chan and me, and so there we were, in Rei-san’s living room. Luna was in my lap.

He was observing us as we observed him. I noticed his eyes kept flickering over to Rei-san, and he averted them as soon as Rei-san caught him.

“Thank you for saving me,” he finally said.

I had kind of expected it, but still. It’s nice to be thanked for your efforts. “You’re welcome.”

He then gave me his full attention. “Are you Princess Serenity?” he asked. “Do you know where the Prince is? Or the Golden Crystal?”

“Wait a second!” Rei-san interrupted him. “Serenity? The _Prince? **Golden** Crystal?_ We haven’t even found Princess Serenity yet, we haven’t had the time to wonder about Earth’s Royalty!”

“Easy for you to say, your Princess is right there!” Kishiou shot up and pointed at me. “ _My_ Prince on the other had is missing! Do you think Beryl will leave him alone if he has no memories!? That Witch is completely obsessed with him!”

“Who?” I asked, tiling my head. Queen Beryl? Was she obsessed with Endymion? Was that why Tuxedo Kamen was kidnapped and brainwashed after Zoisite nearly killed him? “I don’t really remember any names…”

Kishiou used the same calming technique I did, which wasn’t really much of a technique. He sat back down. “You don’t have all your memories?”

All four of us shook our heads mutely.

He sat down with a weary sigh. “Your attack, the healing one, brought all my memories back.”

“Since I was caught in it too, some of my memories have also returned, _Jadeite_ ,” Rei-san interjected. “Not all, but enough to know you betrayed your _Prince_ for that _Witch_!”

“I was brainwashed, Bellona! Sorry I don’t have your psychic training in resisting it!”

“This is why I hate men! You never take any blame or responsibility for your actions! It’s always _I wasn’t taught this_ or _I wasn’t told that_ or _I was ordered to_!” _She was asking for it, dressed like that!_

“The King ordered me to investigate the uprisings! It’s my job! Yes, it sucks I got caught, much more for me than for you, by the way-“

“Excuse you! Who got killed by you, because she wouldn’t raise offensive hand against you? That’s right, me!”

“It was my duty to obey my King!”

“Your _duty_ was to your _Prince_!”

Ami-chan and I snuck out of the living room, leaving the two to hash out their feelings together. Luna remained with them.

“We can conclusively say that the _Moon Healing Escalation_ returns memories of a past life,” Ami-chan said, trying to look at the bright side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * Kishiou Masaya is a mashup of Jadeite's two Japanese voice actors’ names, Onosaka Masaya (Classic) and Kishiou Daisuke (Crystal). I will be using this method to name the other Shitennou, except Nephrite, since Masato Sanjouin offers an excellent identity.  
> Moonlight Purge is of my own creation.


	7. I need to pay attention to my surroundings, I get my tiara back, and Flower Hurricanes make for an effective distraction

I hate going outside when it rains, but school is a must. Thankfully it’s just a light drizzle, but I still have my umbrella. My hair, when it’s in its customary odangos, takes forever to dry. Anything else I could deal with.

Sailor V’s “death” was announced last week, so Aino-san should be making her way to Tokyo soon. I hoped we could be done with the Dark Kingdom by Christmas. On the other hand, I knew that the Chibiusa incident would be over before I turned fifteen on June 30th. I wonder if Serenity was born in June? That’d be a pattern in three lives, as the other previous me had been born on June 1st. Though, from my hazy memories of Serenity, the Moon people didn’t celebrate birthdays every year after the first decade. They celebrated every decade. I imagine it would have gotten irritating after a couple centuries, celebrating everyone’s birthday every year, when I’d gotten annoyed celebrating birthdays by twenty-five.

Luna, Ami-chan and Rei-san hadn't believed Kishiou-kun when he'd called me Princess Serenity. And I'd long since established that I didn't remember my previous name. Kishiou-kun didn't insist on calling me "Princess Serenity" for long, out of fear that Beryl or the other Shitennou might be surveilling us right then, but he still afforded me more respect than the other two, but that might be simply because he enjoyed fighting with Rei-san and Ami-chan preferred observing to interaction with new people. Kishiou-kun kept asking about Prince Endymion, though, but so far he'd avoided running into Chib-

I was picked up and carried in a hurry to the sidewalk where I was set down. In a daze I turned to look towards the street as a lorry drove recklessly by.

I turned to look at my savior.

And looked up at the tallest girl I’d seen. I barely came up to her chest. Her mahogany hair was exactly the color I’d wanted in my previous life instead of the flat dark brown I’d had.

“It’s dangerous out here,” she said and I noticed her bright green eyes. “Be careful.”

As she turned, I saw her rose earring.

Kino Makoto may have been an amazon of a girl, but she’d been the one I’d wanted to be like.

‘*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’

We’d had art that morning, so we were walking to our homeroom while Naru-chan was talking about her cousin’s upcoming wedding and missing fiancé. The other girls were daydreaming of becoming brides (social conditioning at it’s best, I shook my head inwardly, nothing wrong with it, but a career or a hobby should also feature in a girls dreams for future), when I was bumped from the back by a rushing senpai.

“Hey, be careful!” came a commanding voice as gentle but strong hands saved me from falling.

“Thanks,” I muttered when I realized it was Kino-san. “For earlier too.”

She didn’t say anything but nodded and continued on her way.

The other girls were watching her with awe when one of the teachers angrily stomped over.

“Hey! Transfer student! Why haven’t you changed your uniform?!” Sakaki-sensei, the blow-hard math teacher, demanded.

“Ah, there wasn’t one in my size. They’re all too small,” Kino-san replied calmly.

Umino ushered us toward our destination and away from the girl in the light brown school uniform. “That’s the new girl who transferred to class 6. She’s amazingly strong! According to a rumor, she got kicked out of her old school for fighting.”

“You know you shouldn’t trust rumors,” I dismissed him. “And I wouldn’t be surprised if she was fighting to protect someone. She saved me from being run over by a car this morning, you know.” Telling Umino was like telling the whole school. Maybe Kino-san would have an easier time here if there was a benevolent rumor to counteract the malicious one.

‘*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’

Rain had stopped by lunchtime and the sun had come out. Ami-chan and I had decided to brave the cold autumn air and eat outside. Our normal spot was protected from the winds and there were no tall buildings to block out the sun. As for the dampness from the rain, I came prepared with two plastic bags for us to sit on.

But… Kino-san was already at our normal bench.

“Do you mind if we sit with her?” I asked Ami-chan. I had no delusions of how she was treated by most of our peers, so introducing someone new to the safe time she had with me might not go over well.

Ami-chan scrutinized Kino-san intently. “She’s lonely. I don’t think she’d be like Kawahara-san and Higuchi-san*.”

I took her by hand and gave her an encouraging smile as I pulled her forward. “Hey! Do you mind if Ami-chan and I sit with you? This is scientifically proven the best lunch spot on the school grounds.”

Kino-san looked up from her bento, taking in my smile and Ami-chan’s awkward inward curl. “I don’t mind, go right ahead,” she said and scooted to the side to give us room on the bench.

I took out the plastic bags and set them on the bench so that we could sit, Ami-chan to my right and Kino-san to my left. “Sorry I don’t have a third one,” I told Kino-san. “Sitting on a damp skirt is icky.”

She blinked at me in surprise. I don’t think she expected me to engage her in conversation. “You would have been too late for that, my skirt was already wet by the time you arrived.”

“So, I’m Tsukino Usagi from class 1, and this is my friend Mizuni Ami-chan from class 5,” I introduced us as I took out the huge bento that held enough food for two active Sailor Senshi. Ami-chan had calculated that my previous assumption on doubling my caloric intake would compensate for the Senshi transformation and training had been too little, and had instead recommended we triple the normal caloric intake. And since Ami-chan’s mother didn’t have the time to make her bento and Ami-chan usually made do with school lunch, I’d protested and after talking to mama about it, we’d taken to making most of our lunches.

“Kino Makoto, class 6.”

“Nice to meet you Kino-san! I hope you’ll enjoy your time at Jῡban Middle school,” I told her and turned to Ami-chan. “So what are your first impressions of _Good Omens_?”

Ami-chan relaxed as she answered. “It is funny, I’ll give you that, but I think I prefer sci-fi to fantasy…”

‘*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’

“Hey Kino-san!” I called as I spotted her walking alone out of the school gates. She turned to me in surprise. “Do you want to come hang out with me and Ami-chan at the arcade? We’re meeting another friend of ours, Hino Rei-san who goes to different school, there. We’ve a standing reservation for one of the consoles every Tuesday.”

“Consoles…? Actually, if you wouldn’t mind. I just moved to the area. Finding a good arcade was on my to-do list anyway,” she answered as she waited for us to catch up.

Ami-chan and I pointed out our favorite cafés and good bookshops as we walked through Azabu-Jῡban. I also recommended the supermarket mama usually used for our groceries since Makoto-san asked. We exchanged first name rights during the journey, even if Ami-chan was still hesitant.

We entered the arcade and headed for the counter. “Motoki-oniisan! Good afternoon!”

“Usagi-chan! You’re chipper today!” he greeted back. “What can I do for you on this fine Tuesday?”

“Hot chocolate with whipped cream!” I answered instantly. “And you haven’t let anyone take our reservation, have you?”

“Give away the reservation of the girl who came up with the idea? Perish the thought!” Motoki-oniisan said with a wink. “What about you, Ami-chan, what can I get you?”

“Hot chocolate sounds good, Motoki-san,” Ami-chan answered with a small smile. “Has Rei-san come yet?”

“A second hot chocolate coming right up. I haven’t seen Rei-chan yet, but then, her school is further out. And what about you, new customer?”

Makoto-san was too dazed staring at him to answer, so I answered for her. “This is Kino Makoto-san, she transferred to our school today. She’ll order later.”

“Okay, Usagi-chan. Now, which game do you want to play this week?”

“The one she chooses every week, _Sailor V: Attack of the Youma_ ,” Chiba-kun answered from behind me. _How does he keep sneaking up on me?!_

I’d been working on my sensing while being grounded, the whole two weeks! And even the week after my grounding had ended! I could tell individual strangers apart from twenty meters away! And yet here was Chiba Mamoru sneaking up on me! It was like he blended into the surroundings so well he was basically invisible to my energy slash aura sensing.

“Chiba-kun hit the nail on the head with that one,” Ami-chan giggled. I shot her a mock wounded look.

“I am not predictable!” I declared to the two and turned to Motoki-oniisan, who was clearly amused. “Gimme _Joust_ on Atari 7800!”

“Coming right up, princess!” Motoki-oniisan said with a wink. “Unazuki-chan! Can you switch _Joust_ to TV 5?” he called to his sister over his shoulder.

I turned to Chiba-kun and beamed. “How was your day? Mine was awesome! We met Makoto-san! She saved me from being run over this morning!”

Chiba-kun sighed and tousled my hair. “You need to pay better attention to your surroundings, Odango Atama.” _He's not wrong, but I'm never admitting it aloud._

“Hey!” I swatted his hand aside. “Don’t ruin my hair!”

It was too late though. My odangos were skewed.

‘*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’

After a few hours at the arcade playing _Joust_ with my friends, we were walking through the shopping district to walk Rei-san to the shrine. It was both to show the shrine to Makoto-san as well as to get her more familiar with the area.

Then Ami-chan pointed at one of the shops. “That’s the haunted bridal shop that the rumors were talking about.”

“Naru-chan’s cousin got fitted for her wedding dress there last week and then her fiancé disappeared,” I added. I shot a meaningful look at Ami-chan and Rei-san, who both picked up on it with minute nods. We’d take a look at the shop some other time when Makoto-san wasn’t with us.

“A mannequin apparently swoops down and seduces any of the men who happen to be nearby,” we overheard some other pedestrians gossiping while surreptitiously pointing at the bridal shop.

I stopped walking, and everyone else stopped too, turning to look at me curiously. “Hey… you don’t think Naru-chan’s cousin’s fiancé was seduced by that ghost?”

“I don’t care if it’s a ghost or not, if a guy falls for a seduction, it’s his own damn fault,” Rei-san snapped.

“That’s cold, Hino-chan,” Kishiou-kun needled as he walked past us with cheeky wave.

“No one asked you, Kishiou-teme!” Rei-san shouted after him. She humped. “I don’t trust men.”

Makoto-san laughed awkwardly. “This is getting intense. It’s been fun, but I’m gonna head home.”

“Okay, have a nice night! See you tomorrow at school!” I bid her goodbye and waved. It's a shame she didn't persevere and walk with us to the shrine, since it was very much our Senshi base when we wanted to avoid being overheard.

‘*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’

While at the shrine, Luna had nagged about not trusting Tuxedo Kamen, because he was after the Silver Crystal too. I’d pointed out he’d helped us twice now, and that I didn’t sense anything bad about him. I also pointed out, when Luna argued that my sensing wasn’t enough evidence, that I’d correctly picked two Senshi out of the masses, while she’d waffled about Ami-chan.

I mean, I think most of my instinctive trust of Tuxedo Kamen came from Serenity and my knowledge that he was my “fated soulmate” or whatever, but he had yet to prove me wrong.

After dinner I’d been reading _Public Relations: Strategies and Tactics_ (a book papa had recommended), but now I was getting ready for bed. I’d been so engrossed in the book that I hadn’t realized it was already past eleven.

Plaiting my hair was a job in and of itself, and with how thick and long it ended up, I almost felt like Rapunzel.

From my vanity mirror, I saw Tuxedo Kamen gesturing for me to follow him.

“Luna,” I snapped hurriedly to the sleeping feline. “Youma attack. Go tell mama I have to go, I’ll alert Ami-chan and Rei-san!” I then transformed and jumped to follow him.

It didn’t take long for us to reach the shopping district I’d walked through just hours earlier. I saw Motoki-oniisan behaving like a douchbag with Makoto-san, who, in turn, looked infatuated… and a glowing ghost bride behind them.

The ghost bride… was a possessed mannequin? Goddamnit, but I need my tiara! How did story-Usagi get hers back? I had no idea how many victims the spirit-youma had stashed away, so I didn’t dare try to dispel the brainwashing, and taking myself out of the fight, so the only course of action was the dust the ghost bride.

A strange, warm feeling flowed over me and concentrated on my forehead. It... was warm, like mama's hugs and papa's steady presence. But also like a guiding hand on my shoulder or a hand petting my head while singing me to sleep, a tobaco raspy voice reading a fairy tale or silly dancing to Beatles' music. Once it was over, I felt my tiara back there. It had come back!

But before I managed to attack, Mercury and Mars announced our presence to the enemy, decrying the youma’s misdeed in tricking and manipulating innocent people. Makoto-san woke from her daze and grew infuriated – and punched the ghost bride right in its blank face. The head flew off, but what drew my attention was the planetary symbol on Makoto-san’s forehead. Luna, who had obviously followed me (hopefully after alerting mama to my sudden absence), threw her a transformation pen. While she was transforming, I dusted the mannequin with my new tiara. And it returned to me after, like a boomerang! How convenient!

The Shitennou in charge of this particular operation announced his location by taunting us. The freshly transformed Sailor Jupiter launched a _Flower Hurricane_ at him, which in turn trapped him in place.

While Jupiter geared up for another attack, Mercury stopped her, and instead I managed to fire off a _Moon Healing Escalation_ at him while he was trying to fight off the flowers.

And then we had another unconscious Shitennou on our hands, with a new Senshi to boot too.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Tuxedo Kamen race off, since his help hadn’t been needed beyond alerting me to the attack. Hopefully he'd get some sleep after, I know Chiba-kun has a test tomorrow.

‘*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’

I’d called Kishiou-kun in the morning to tell him we’d unbrainwashed a dark-haired enemy, since we still didn’t know his name. Kishiou-kun had promptly informed us of his identity as Nephrite, Prince Endymion’s personal star diviner and guard. He had no idea about Nephrite’s civilian identity this time around, since he’d been the last one kidnapped. But the remaining two were Zoisite, a teenager even younger than Kishiou-kun who was eighteen, and the leader of the Shitennou, Kunzite, who was in his mid-twenties. Kunzite, though, had been occupied by Sailor V in London until recently.

You know, all that interesting lore, but nothing useful for now.

Then Kishiou-kun had demanded to be there to take care of Nephrite and ease any awkwardness once he woke up. I informed him Nephrite was at the Hikawa Shrine, and any awkwardness he’d ease, would be brought back two-fold by his proximity to Rei-san. He hung up on me.

I sighed and wandered back to the kitchen and demanded a hug from mama. Mama’s hugs may not have made anything better, but they certainly put things in perspective.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * Ruki and Yumiko respectively


	8. I am reminded that we are teenagers and I throw up my breakfast (and someone stops pussyfooting about the memories)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Umm... consequences of a black out, aka. patients on life support dying.  
> Actually, a lot of people dying. It gets mentioned, but not described.  
> Also, accidents happen because of being drained of energy suddenly, so it's not just dying but permanent injuries too.  
> Draining energy from the elderly is not recommended for their continued survival.  
> And Usagi throws up but it's not described, just mentioned.

Sanjouin Masato was a trust fund baby who’d gone missing after graduating high school five years earlier. His return to society was bigger news than Kishiou-kun’s.

Sanjouin-kun was also quicker to reach out to us again, probably because his family, while relieved he’d finally been found, just got him bodyguards and therapists and then left him to figure out what to do with himself. His offered information was very much in line with Kishiou-kun’s, except he confirmed that none of them knew each other’s civilian identity, Zoisite and Jadeite had just showed up in their own time, already brainwashed.

Which was all well and good… until Chiba-kun did the stupidest thing ever and gave a statement as Tuxedo Kamen about the Silver Crystal a little more than a week after we met Makoto-chan.

I have been let down by one of the smartest people I know. What’s next, Ami-chan is going to get her mother to do some blood work on us at work and leave the samples laying around for others to find?

I mean, I know we’re all teenagers and therefore impatient, but going to the press? Save me from bad decisions made by teenagers. And for once Luna agreed with me completely! Though she took this as evidence of Tuxedo Kamen being our enemy rather than a teenager.

I tried bringing up the possibility of giving everyone (else) back their memories of the Silver Millennium, you know, so we could be more informed or in better fighting shape, but everyone kept sidelining me, even when Luna said I was supposed to be their leader. When I talked about it with Ami-chan in school, she said she’d rather the memories come back naturally, because there’d be less chance mental trauma. I think she feared losing herself in the person she’d been. Makoto-chan was all for it, but thought it’d make more sense to do it when we weren’t constantly on guard for an enemy attack. Rei-san wished to first deal with the memories she’d already gotten as the result of her earlier encounter with _Moon Healing Escalation_.

But the Silver Crystal mania swept over Tokyo and Japan. I asked mama and papa to stay as far away from any and all mentions of the Silver Crystal, because I was worried about them. I don’t believe in useless worrying, but I worried for my family all the same. I tried asking Luna if there were wards or some such that I could place on my home for protection, but she just shook her head and said she at least hadn’t heard of any such things. Rei-san, when she heard of my problem, offered all three of us yaku yoke omamori for our homes. And I could sense the power in the omamori, but it was rather too generic for what I needed. Still, I thanked Rei-chan for her thoughtfulness.

If I had lunar rock… or would moonstone work? Or should I find some kind of crystal that holds moon energy well? Magic is about symbolism and belief more than actual facts, right? The stones could act like anchor points or ward stones at every corner of our house’s plot of land… (Internet would make all this so much easier, but even Google’s still almost a decade away. And it’s not like you can just buy lunar rock from the corner store. Can you even buy lunar rock? Or are they all in museums and universities being studied? Though… wasn’t there some kind of teleportation adventure to the Moon in the story? If it happens, I could look around for suitable rocks then… Or was it just a flashback? Why didn’t I write it down when I still remembered…?)

So, uh… waking up in Tuxedo Kamen’s arms in the middle of the street, surrounded by other passed out pedestrians who still mumbled about the Silver Crystal, even while unconscious, was… energizing. It was weird, like energy just poured out of him and into me. The energy was so warm, and he felt so _safe_ I just wanted to continue laying there and have a nap. Even mama couldn’t invoke such feelings safety and trust, and even the thought of someone, anyone, else holding me like he was would have had me tensing up – had I not been in his arms right that moment. If I hadn’t been meditating for months now, I would have suspected some kind of subtle mind control.

Then, the first thing out of his mouth was acknowledgement of his mistake, and him taking responsibility for it. _Important life skill, that, one that many men seem to lack_. Of course he also admitted that he didn’t have (hadn’t yet discovered) the kind of powers I had and that only I could help solve the problem that we now faced. He also called me Sailor Moon, which… well, at least I shouldn’t yet know we knew each other off the battlefield.

(His eyes, when he stared at me… my heartbeat skyrocketed. The look was so intense. Like I had all the answers in the universe. Like I was the only star in the night sky.) _(What the hell am I supposed to do? I’m not ready! Even if the feelings were acknowledged and mutual, I’m not ready for a relationship! At least hold out until high school! It’s still not ideal, but it’s better than the alternative! Eighteen months! I’ve gone over forty years without being in a romantic relationship, I can hold off for another eighteen months! We can be friends! We can still hang out! Just… no kissing, hand holding or too long stares into his deep blue eyes, which I could drown in.)_

I transformed.

“This is probably Tokyo wide, right?” I asked and he nodded.

“As far as I know. Government buildings and even hospitals were dark from what I saw on my way here,” he added.

Most hospitals had backup generators, so that in case of an earthquake or some other disaster, they wouldn’t lose power. So if they were dark, many of the critical patients or patients on life support were most likely already dead. If the affected area was Tokyo wide, that probably meant hundreds of people, most of them elderly.

I pushed down the sorrow, right now I needed to act.

“Hold me,” I told him. He was the Earth Prince, he was connected to the Earth, I could use him and the Earth as a conduit to reach as many of the victims as possible.

“What?”

“You either give me energy or you amplify my energy, but either way, I can’t do this alone, so Hold Me.”

He stepped behind me and tentatively wrapped his arms around my middle. I moved his right hand to cover mine on the Moon Stick, and leaned back on his chest.

I concentrated and flared my sensing as far and as wide as I could. With him there with me, I could feel everyone. The other Senshi were at the TV station where the dark energy had been broadcasting from. Papa was at the office, snoring at his desk. Shingo was at the baseball team’s practice, the whole team taking a nap in an unintentional puppy pile. Naru-chan was at the park with Ruki and Yumiko. Mama was home, having fallen asleep while watching TV. The unconscious humans were still losing energy... they would all die if I didn't do something soon.

I laced my left hand’s fingers through his right hand’s fingers and lifted the Moon Stick. I stopped short. Again, this wasn’t a _Moon Healing Escalation_ situation. They were drained, not injured or brainwashed or possessed. Before, the drained had regained their energy once the youma had been destroyed, but I couldn’t sense a youma this time.

“Moonlight Restoration!”

_I hope everyone will be alright…_

‘*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’

I’m getting tired of waking up somewhere I couldn’t remember falling asleep in.

I mean, for anyone else, waking up in a strange bed would be cause for concern (as it should be, even for me), but I just… couldn’t bring myself to care. Since my sensing told me my immediate surroundings were empty, I could only suppose either I was alone or with Chiba-kun.

I let my transformation go before sitting up. I took off my shoes, and mentally apologized to Chiba-kun, and noted to remind him to change his sheets. The bed was a double bed. The pillows on my left smelled lightly of Chiba-kun, but the sheets felt clean. (Chiba-kun prefers the right side of the bed? I can’t believe even our sleeping preferences are compatible, because you can have my left side of the bed over my dead body.)

Actually, I could barely believe I was in a teenage boy’s bedroom with how clean and tastefully decorated it was. No raunchy movie or band posters on the walls, no dirty clothes strewn around… barely a novel on the right-side bedside table. The room was much bigger than the double bed, the full-size mirror and the built-in closet needed. There was room for a dresser, vanity and chaise lounge at least, and still have ample room for early morning yoga if you wanted. (Or a crib, but I ignored that thought with aplomb.)

The bedroom was west facing, but indirect morning light still filled the room. It was going to be a clear but cold late November day.

The door opened and Chiba-kun stood in the doorway. Poor boy was pale as a sheet, which, when coupled with his tousled hair, tuxedo shirt and bowtie, made him look like a ghost from 1920’s New York that died while getting dressed. (I knew men in suits was a turn-on for me, but seeing him, Chiba Mamoru, without the tuxedo jacket, top hat and mask but still in slacks and suspenders and bowtie… heat pooled in my lower stomach in a new way. And I had to remind myself to keep breathing.)

“I see you’re awake,” he said, standing there awkwardly. Technically it was his room, but I was a teenage girl still in bed. “Please come to the living room.”

 _Well, that’s one way dissolve the awkwardness of a girl in your bed, Chiba-kun._ Had I felt any less awkward myself, that was what I would have said.

I gave him a small smile and slipped out of the bed. I picked up my shoes and followed him to the living room. He took the shoes from me and took them to the genkan and returned with guest slippers.

“Thanks,” I muttered. “For the slippers... and letting me borrow your bed.”

“Least I could do for the trouble I cased,” he mumbled back, avoiding my eyes. I’m pretty sure he was also blushing.

I Looked around the living room in search of a topic. The living room looked a lot more lived in, if still unnaturally clean for a teenager’s living space. A bookcase full of books, TV and VHS player, study desk, computer desk, a couch and a loveseat, quilts, a dining room set in the back close to the kitchen separated by a half wall, two other doors, one leading presumably to the bathroom but the other was probably another bedroom. It was a surprisingly big apartment for one person, especially in Tokyo where space was in premium. You could have fit a three- or four-person family in it comfortably… Right… it’s probably inherited… from his parents… whom I should know nothing about…

“You, uh, never explained why you want the Silver Crystal,” I finally managed, though I cleared my throat when my voice came out squeaky at first.

And so I got to hear about Chiba Mamoru-kun’s tragic past and memory loss and strange dreams. I listen silently, because listening to someone bear their soul (or in this case, their tragic past) is something I can do, even if emotions are not my strong suite.

“The Moon Stick can help you recover your memories, if you want,” I offered once I was sure he was done talking. Offering sympathy wasn’t my style, offering solutions to the problem was. “Well, it brings back memories of a past life, at least, but I think it could help with retrograde amnesia too. Besides, the Silver Crystal is missing, and we have no idea where it is or who has it, so that seems kind of an unreliable method to get your memories back.”

Chiba-kun turned to look at me. He burned with determined hope. “It can? I thought you could just purify dark energy or something.”

“Hah,” I barked a sarcastic laugh. “Moon Stick’s very basic ability is healing, but I’ve done so much more with it. Princess D was possessed, and I exorcised her with it, and… yesterday evening? Yesterday evening I used it to share my energy with all those who’d been drained by the enemy. I’m beginning to think I’m only limited by my imagination with what the Moon Stick can do. Kishiou-kun and Sanjouin-kun got unbrainwashed _and_ got the memories of their past lives back. And Rei-chan got blasted partially, and now she’s dealing with past life memories too. The other girls want to wait until we’re no longer on war footing to get the rest of their memories. Luna agreed, though I think that’s just because she’s afraid of what she herself might remember.” I paused. “And I haven’t yet figured out how to turn it on myself to get my own memories back.”

Chiba-kun thought my offer over in silence. Then he nodded decisively. “It doesn’t hurt to try. Do you want to do it right now?”

I glanced at the clock on the living room wall. It had been Thursday evening, so now it was Friday morning. (If I didn’t hurry this along, I’d have no time to stop by home to get scolded by mama and pick up my bento.) “How about today after school? You’ll have the whole weekend to get acclimatized to the memories.”

“Do you want to meet up at the arcade or will you come straight here?”

“I’ll come straight here, better not give Motoki-oniisan any more reason for gossip,” I grinned.

“Isn’t Friday the day you have that book club thing with Mizuno-chan?”

I sighed mournfully. “It stopped being anything regular when we became Sailor Senshi. We just talk about the books over lunch. Makoto-chan has started reading the books too, and I’m happy for it, but it was mine and Ami-chan’s thing first. Ami-chan doesn’t have many things she does for pure pleasure without guilt, and having become Sailor Mercury, her free time had dwindled next to nothing like the rest of us, but Makoto-chan likes cooking, which is, you know, essential for her survival and produces delicious food, and Rei-chan has her fire meditation and looking after Phobos and Deimos* which are part of her duties as a shrine maiden, but everything else Ami-chan reads is factual and geared towards helping her with something. Well, she still swims, but I haven’t seen her play chess since the whole Senshi thing started.”

‘*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’

Mama had given me a tight hug and warm breakfast when I’d stopped by at home on the way to school. The news had been full of yesterday’s power failure and impromptu naps and reports of hundreds of deaths from traffic accidents and elderly people. No one we knew had died, but it was still a tragedy. Papa had stayed late at the office to get the story to the print for today's newspaper, and was therefore sleeping in. Shingo had already left for school.

At school, no one had talked about anything other than the large-scale attack yesterday. Yumiko wasn’t at school because her mother had died. Umino’s elderly neighbors had also passed, and Yasumoto’s cousin had been in a car accident, likely never to walk again.

Every story of a death or injury hit me in the gut.

Had this happened in the story? Had story-Usagi just not realized all the tragedy around her, or had it deliberately been left out because it didn’t fit in with the story? Or had story-Usagi just… been too stupid to realize what happened around her? Or… had this not happened, and all these deaths were my fault?*

I spent most of lunch in the third-floor girls’ toilet throwing up. Ami-chan and Makoto-chan took turns rubbing my back and comforting me. I couldn’t tell them the full reason for my guilt, but they got the gist of it anyway.

‘*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’

Mamoru fidgeted with the light blue hand towel he’d picked to guard his teeth in case getting his memories back hurt. He’d seen the dark haired Shitennou scream himself hoarse when hit with the healing attack of the Moon Stick. Tsukino-chan – _Sailor Moon_ – stood in the middle of his living room, taking final stock of their preparations.

Water, fruit and plastic wrapped onigiri were on the coffee table, pillows and a blanket beside him on the couch, phone on the side-table within reach, couch wrapped in plastic under the sheet, a bucket beside the couch. Sustenance, comfort, a way to call help and ease of clean-up if needed.

“This shouldn’t hurt, but do you want to bite a towel just in case?” she asked, her blue eyes shining with concern. “I doubt you’d want your neighbors knocking on your door, or worse, calling the police.”

Mamoru smirked. “Way ahead of you, Odango Atama,” he said and showed her the towel. He saw her giving it an incredulous glance. The same kind of look she’d given his apartment that same morning, as if looking for proof he lived there and not some middle-aged housewife. (He liked cleanliness, okay? There’s a place for everything, and everything in its place. Except Tsukino-chan, she never stayed in whatever mental locker he assigned her. First was bright middle schooler Motoki-kun was friends with. Then bright, funny girl he was friends with, maybe more in the future. Then Sailor Moon, the one with the power to destroy the youma. Now she was the girl with the power to help him.)

“You ready?” she asked and he nodded, putting the towel between his teeth. After a deep breath, she began. “ _Moon Healing Escalation!_ ”

The light blinded him, but nothing else changed for a second.

_His kaa-san had light hair, pink hair. His tou-san… he had his tou-san's hair, and kaa-san’s eyes. Kaa-san had been an elementary school teacher; tou-san had been an engineer._

_Kaa-san had been pregnant. He’d been so happy to be a big brother, even if it meant sharing a room with a sibling._

_Tou-san had loved baseball; they’d been on the way to watch a game. (It hadn’t been a simple joy ride. They’d been on their way to a family activity.)_

_Kaa-san’s favorite flower had been nadeshiko. They’d had fish because tou-san was allergic to furry animals._

He really was Chiba Mamoru. It wasn’t just a name the doctors had given him.

_Serenity!_

Another wave of memories drowned everything else.

_Palace rose garden, a beautiful girl in a white dress hiding behind a tree, watching him._

_Same girl, he was a little older, she still looked the same, he was training, she was still watching him._

_Again, same girl, gardens, picnic. Her bell like laughter._

_Princess Serenity, ball, dancing, he wanted to dance with her, his ethereal Princess._

_Something was wrong, his guards were missing, his people were rioting, there had been no word from Moon for weeks._

_Deflect, parry, take hit, deflect, stab, guard, PAIN, Serenity, too many, where are her guards, PAIN, parry, slash, deflect, can’t sidestep Serenity’s right behind PAIN, final one down, Serenity… don’t cry…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Phobos and Deimos are Rei's crows.  
> *Canon Usagi doesn't use any specific spell or attack, just a wish to bring everyone back to life. But we're also not shown the extent of the damage, so we don't know if this brought back the recently dead or healed injuries received earlier.


	9. What's in an identity, and my past does not define me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got a cold last weekend, so Monday and Tuesday just whizzed by and on Wednesday evening I realized I still had to write half-a-chapter if I wanted to post anything today so... here we are.  
> I don't think there is any need for specific warnings aside from... mentions of suicide? If you're reading this and haven't yet stopped reading because of the talk of suicide in previous chapters, I doubt this chapter will trigger you either, unless you got the trigger during last week. If so, my condolences for the shitty week.

Once the light died down, Chiba-kun sat there in a daze for a while before shooting up. He clambered over the coffee table between me and the couch, and grabbed me in a tight, desperate hug. He was mumbling something incoherent as I tried to keep him upright, but his legs weren’t cooperating. I was luckily still transformed and therefore stronger, so we didn’t fall to the ground.

But yeah, he was pretty out of it. He wouldn’t even respond when I called for him, just held on tighter. _Serenity_ was the only semi-coherent word I got out of him. I ended up carrying him to the couch, only for him not to relinquish his hold. So I sat there on the couch with the seventeen-year-old boy who was my crush slash soulmate clinging to me and occasionally petting my hair. And yeah, it was cute and I was glad it was me who was there with him, but… he wasn’t light.

I really should have expected this kind of reaction. Didn’t story-Usagi and story-Mamoru fall into a relationship right after they remembered? Well… there was the Ail and An thing when Usagi remembered everything but Mamoru didn’t… but they were definitely together during the Chibiusa thing. Though… didn’t Mamoru break up with Usagi for some reason? I’ll have to review my notes…

Eventually he fell asleep and his grip on me slackened. I tucked him in on the couch, returned the water bottle to the table from where he’d accidentally kicked it in his hast to cross the coffee table and closed the curtains against the setting sun.

I wrote a short note to him to tell him I’d be at the arcade on Sunday sometime after four, and to take at least tomorrow to process all his memories.

I had to go home and have a good cry on mama. All those innocent people…

‘*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’

Mamoru – Endymion – walked into the arcade, nodding hellos to the few regulars he’d sometimes chatted with. Motoki-kun was behind the counter and Unazuki-chan was bussing the tables. Usagi – Serenity – Odango Atama was with her friends crammed into the corner booth with fries and milkshakes and – schoolbooks? It was the first time he’d seen Odango studying for school. Her library reading was advanced way beyond middle school. (Did she even know she was Serenity? She had said she hadn’t figured out how to restore her own memories. But… the stories… even how she sometimes looked at him… all of that implied she had some memories at least. On the other hand, she hadn’t reacted when he’d called her Serenity two days ago in his daze.)

Should he join them?

Or would it look weird? He was a high school student; it’d be weird if he hung out with middle school girls…

But they were his friends… of a sort. Usagi-chan certainly was his friend, had been for months now. Mizuno-chan was interested in the same profession as him and her doctor mother had shared all sorts of small tricks and tidbits of wisdom with her and she with him. Hino-san was always interesting if a little aloof. Between the two of them, it was hard to hold a conversation. Kino-san was refreshingly sincere, and if he had ever had a little sister he wished she’d have been like her.

Oh crap! Too late to wonder now, he’d made eye contact with Usagi-chan and she was gesturing for him to join them. He in turn gestured to Motoki first and received a nod and a smile before she turned back to the other girls.

How was he supposed to act around Usagi-chan? The only reason she’d felt comfortable becoming friends with him was that he was unlikely to think of her as dating material! And now, having absorbed Endymion’s memories, the only thing he wanted was to hold her and kiss her and –

He interrupted himself before he could finish the thought. She was still fourteen, no matter his or her previous life experience.

What the fuck was he supposed to do for the next couple of years? Moon after her like a lovesick puppy? (Which, he admitted only to himself, he kind of was. But no way was he going to act like it.)

“Finally realized it, huh?” Motoki-kun asked as he slid his coffee to him.

Mamoru looked up from the counter. “Realized what?”

“That you like Usagi-chan.”

Mamoru rolled his eyes. “I’ve known that since the beginning. It’s just… intensified recently. And she wants to be friends for a few more years, which is her right, but…”

“You want more.”

“Yeah.”

“Does she know that?”

“I’m pretty sure, yeah.”

“Well, you can start by spending more time with her in a group setting. Any time with her is still time with her, am I right?”

Mamoru groaned. “Was it like this with you and Reika-san?”

“No, but that was because we’re the same age and she didn’t request a minimum a starting age for our dating. But spending time with and getting to know her friends is never a bad thing if you want the relationship to actually last beyond a few months.”

Mamoru wanted to marry Usagi-chan. He knew that. And it wasn’t all from Endymion wanting to marry Serenity either. Usagi was clever, kind. She enjoyed the silence as much as he did, and the silences between them were rarely strained. Her taste in western movies matched his almost to the T and they had fun recommending movies and books and music to each other. She was clear in her political leanings and he loved how she could and would argue her points, both logically and emotionally. Even without any past lives, he could imagine falling in love with Usagi-chan, if not quite as quickly deciding he wants to marry her. (When he was younger, he’d decided never to marry, because if he did, she might leave him and what would he do? It’d probably feel worse than waking up with family or memories.) (Imagining a life without Usagi-chan now that he knew her would be unimaginably drab. Depending on what had happened, he wasn’t sure he’d carry on for long, which was a scary realization. He had goals outside her, but if she wasn’t there with him sharing in life’s ups and downs, were the goals even worth it?)

“Get me a coffee,” he grouched at Motoki-kun.

‘*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’

Reviewing for the exams still a few weeks away was boring. I know I need to review, and all that, but we were still missing Sailor Venus and the Dark Kingdom was still around and Silver Crystal was still missing, so I personally felt reviewing for exams was… not unnecessary, but superfluous. If we got bad grades for this term, we still had one term left of the year to better our grades. And it’s not like we were entering high school yet, it was still a year away. (But if you fail to plan you plan to fail. And I had no intention of failing, in school or with the Dark Kingdom.)

I saw Chiba-kun enter the arcade and gestured for him to join us. The other girls’ presence should stop him from talking about Endymion and Serenity or Tuxedo Kamen and Sailor Moon.

He gestured to Motoki-oniisan before gesturing to us, so I interpreted it as him ordering something before joining us.

I turned back to the girls. “Chiba-kun’s here, do you mind if he joins us? We don’t have any Senshi business to discuss, right?”

“I wouldn’t mind,” Ami-chan said and I knew she’d draw him into a discussion about medical stuff I wasn’t interested in.

“If he has to,” sighed Rei-chan. “At least Kishiou-teme isn’t here.”

“I’ve got no problem with it, but… why?” Makoto-chan asked. “I’ve been meaning to ask why he hangs out with us.”

“Usagi-chan and Chiba-kun have reciprocated crushes but have agreed not to date until later,” Ami-chan giggled. “It’s really cute how they surreptitiously glance at each other when they’re sure the other isn’t watching.”

I felt my face heat up. Did I really glance at Chiba-kun often enough for Ami-chan to have noticed?

“Not to mention how they can just fall into a debate over the weirdest things,” Rei-chan added. “They once talked about the differences in Cinderella and Snow White for _two hours_.”

“Snow White is a passive character who just reacts as things happen around her and waits for rescue. Cinderella is an active character in her own story and never asks to be saved. She just wanted a day-off to attend the ball,” I muttered. I have opinions. Deal with it. (Chiba-kun deals with them.) “Ami-chan, do you mind sitting beside Chiba-kun? Or you can sit with Rei-chan and Makoto-chan?”

In the end Makoto-chan ended up sitting next to Chiba-kun with Ami-chan between me and Rei-chan, simply because it was easier to squeeze us thee on one side. We spent the following few hours studying math and physics, arguably the hardest subjects, and Chiba-kun truly was a great teacher. Ami-chan fell into the trap of genius, understanding the subject but being a not-so-stellar teacher. She’d never studied with anyone else before, so it might just have been lack of practice, but at least she never got frustrated when one of us didn’t understand something.

Rei-chan was the last to leave, giving Chiba-kun a judgmental stare as she walked out. Then it was just us in the arcade. Motoki-oniisan was doing clean-up, since closing time was just about upon us, but he winked at us and left us to our conversation. He had cheerful pop music playing loudly from the radio, humming along as he wiped down the games.

“How are your memories?”

Chiba-kun’s stare was intense. “I have them,” he answered slowly. “Both this lifetime and… the previous one. You… don’t?”

“Nope,” I confirmed. “Just fragments from here and there. No names or anything like that, but places, balls, even clothes… even passages from books.”

Those were all memories I’d seen in dreams, separate from what I remembered from the other past life. I discounted the bits that were inconsistent, but the Moon Palace and its grounds, clothes, and even some people were there consistently. (I loved the dresses Serenity wore. Her style wasn’t as simple and elegant as Queen Serenity’s, rather it incorporated frills and flourishes tastefully.) I even knew some of the traditional Lunar dances. I didn’t have the muscle memory to dance them looking effortless, but I knew the steps and arm movements.

Chiba-kun’s smile was somewhat fragile. “That time on the bus… you said, in the dream, you killed yourself after your lover had died.”

I nodded. “Yes. It’s been a frequent nightmare. Mama says it started when I was three, but I don’t remember. It’s just something that I sometimes dream about.” I shrugged. “She was… I can’t even describe what she felt, it was so chaotic. She was heartbroken, and helpless. She had no training, so if she’d been captured alive, the best she could have hoped for was a quick death. Instead of risking… a more unpleasant fate, she took her own life.”

I don’t really remember the first few years after remembering my past life. There are flashes of baby Shingo, of mama wearing a jacket with ridiculous eighties shoulder pads, of being at a park with papa, of the gymnastics class, of some of the children’s anime. Of mama sitting with me after a nightmare. Of psychologist visits. (It wasn’t normal for a toddler to have screaming nightmares.) But no coherent memories. It must’ve been hard for my parents.

“You don’t think of the previous life as you think of yourself?”

“I am Tsukino Usagi. I am fourteen years old, I like reading and sweet things, I don’t like sour food or math, my hobbies are video games and saving the day by moonlight, and my dream is to leave behind a better world than the one I was born into,” I asserted. “Whoever I was in a past life may give me their experiences, but their life and choices don’t mean I have to repeat them. What about you, Chiba-kun?”

He was silent for a moment. “I am Chiba Mamoru, age seventeen. I like… I like plants and well-organized bookshelves. I don’t like my history teacher. My hobby is trying to catch up on animated children’s movies. My dream…”

“Yes?” I prompted. When he still wouldn’t say anything, I leaned over the table and took his white knuckled left fist between my hands. He looked me in the eyes, startled. I smiled at him gently. “It’s a dream. It can be as personal or as impersonal as you want it to be. Dream job, dream university, life goal.”

He closed his eyes and laned back but didn’t withdraw his hand from mine. “Tsukino-chan, you have got to stop that.”

Oh. _Oh_. Oh!

I released his hand like it was burning. (Eighteen months!) “Sorry! That was…”

“Yeah,” he sighed. His smile was tired. “Pretty sure you’re the Princess you’ve been looking for.”

Yeah, I am, but I don’t have the _memories_ , nor have I unlocked Silver Crystal or Princess mode, or whatever. Also, being told you are something is not the same as being something, and I have yet to actually feel like Serenity, at least in recent memory.

“Kishiou-kun said the same thing,” I answered. Seeing his blank look, I elaborated. “Jadeite.”

He startled. “Right. You’ve freed two of my guards.” He took a deep breath. “Jadeite and Nephrite. Don’t suppose you could arrange a meeting?”

“Are you the Prince they said they were looking for?” I asked. I’d become a much better actor over the years and didn’t exaggerate my shock. I hadn’t thought he’d come out and tell me that.

“Yes,” he affirmed, blushing. “Kunzite, Nephrite, Jadeite and Zoisite were my guards.”

“Of course I’ll set up a meeting for you,” I promised. I’d just have to call them-

I saw the clock above the doors. Quarter to seven. Dinner was at seven.

If I was late for Sunday dinner without a world ending reason…

“Oh my god, I’m gonna be late!” I shouted and hurriedly pulled my jacket on. “I’ll call you tomorrow with the time and place! Bye!”

With my backpack slung over my shoulder and hurriedly trying to wrap my scarf around my neck, I ran out of the arcade into the freezing December night. As I ran home, snow started to gently fall from the sky for the first time that winter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea if arcades were open during Sundays in Japan in the '90s, or if they were, if they would have stayed open until seven, but in this 'verse, the Crown Arcade is open until 19:00 on Sundays, 22:00 Fridays and Saturdays and 20:00 every other day.


	10. We find Chaos' finances, Zoisite sucks at fighting and Christmas is not actually a big thing in Japan (but I give my friends gifts anyway)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, uh... sorry for the wait? That came out of nowhere? I meant to write up to the Tokyo tower fight in this, but the scene just doesn't want to be written. I've had this chapter open on my laptop for the past three months (give or take a week) reminding me that I ought to write it. Instead, have some character moments!

I set up the meeting for Chiba-kun and his Shitennou, but I felt it was none of my business what happened in it. Sure, they were my… friends? For the most part. But it was also a private thing between a Prince and his guards. Besides, Makoto-chan’s birthday was just a few days after, and I was busy.

It took me like, a week to notice all the suspiciously named rental shops popping up like mushrooms after rain. Rei-chan also brought them up as suspicious, because she got a bad feeling. My arguments were based on logic (What kind of financing did they have that they could have five shops within a walking distance of each other? In Tokyo, where rents were through the roof, even with all the enemy action? Not to mention the capital needed to buy all the VHS tapes? They’re not exactly free. I made a mental note to look into their fire sale once we took care of whatever Dark Kingdom mook was in charge of the project.) while hers were based on sensed feelings. And yeah, I could sense the dark energy too, but I… while I trust it, I also know Ami-chan was more than a little leery of anything not based on facts. So presenting her with logical questions got us much further with her that just telling her I had a feeling.

I also told papa about my misgivings about Rental Shop Dark, and he looked deeper into it for me using the connections he’d forged throughout his career as a journalist. I warned him not to poke too much because for all I knew, the Dark Kingdom had minions in the government and/or the world of private banking.

Papa came through for me, though.

Rental Shop Dark was being financed but an international private banking group called Wizemann. They had also bankrolled the Crystal Seminar which Ami had studied at. Papa had a list of their investments in Japan, but there was a note that they also had their fingers in pies all around the world. The only names that really struck out to me was Mugen ward, Mugen Academy and the Mugen Labs.

I had a sinking feeling that the whole banking group was rotten. Wasn’t there a Wiseman advising Prince what’s-his-face of the Dark Moon Clan? And they had time travel that was no dependent on the Doors of Time? Could we even find out if they had gone further back in time than our present? Or was this all Chaos’ doing? Weren’t all of Sailor Moon’s enemies just facets of Chaos?

Papa, after seeing my reaction to the list nodded understandingly and asked if I wanted him and mama to avoid anything that had anything to do with anything related to the Wizemann Group, which, yeah, absolutely. If we had even the slightest inkling where the enemy might strike from next, I wouldn’t have to feel so bloody paranoid all the time.

I gave the full list of Wizemann’s investments to Ami-chan and Sanjouin-kun. Ami-chan immediately pointed out that one of Wizemann’s subdivisions had invested in OSA-P just before I met Luna last summer. Sanjouin-kun added that his family’s business (luxury hair care and cosmetics) had been in talks with Wizemann Group just before he’d been kidnapped. It would not hold up in court, but it certainly was enough to make all of us wary.

Chiba-kun barely spoke to me during all this.

He spoke to Kishiou-kun and Sanjouin-kun and the girls whom I still hadn’t told of his identity as Tuxedo Kamen. If I hadn’t caught him staring at me, I would have thought he was ignoring me. He hadn’t even called me Odango Atama once.

I missed talking with him.

During those weeks I also knitted all my friends scarves for Christmas. (I knew how to knit, in theory, but in practice, I lacked even the slightest muscle memory from before. Not that I was a prolific knitter before either, but I’d learned the basics.)

I tried to imbue as much love and wish to protect whoever wore them into them as I could. It was something I’d discovered when I’d been idly playing with a ribbon while reading a Jane Austen novel, imbuing things with feelings sometime in the middle of October. I have no idea how well it’ll work, because I can only sense the emotions imbued and not their effectiveness. If… if they work, I might take up willow weaving and weave those wards around my home someday. (They’re mine and I love them all, even the haughty Rei-chan, who, despite everything, was kind and considerate and makes the best tea, even Makoto-chan, the newest of my friends, possibly most in need of love and acceptance. I love Ami-chan, and want to protect her from the world’s cruelties, the cruelties of our peers.) (A warmth flared inside me as I thought about them, all of them. _Soon_ , it seemed to say. _Soon you’ll be ready_.)

‘*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’

Can I just say Zoisite was a shit fighter? His magic was impressive, I’ll give him that, but actual physical fighting? He sucked at it. Who doesn’t restrain their captive’s arms? I dug my elbow deep into his ribs. (I hadn’t given the gloves much attention, they just were, but the rippled edge? Kind of like elbow guards, except liable to do damage if hit with. They weren’t knife sharp, but hitting a table leg or some such still hurt.) Or, if he’d lifted me off the ground, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to smash my heel on his toes? And who doesn’t back away once their previous captive was free? Because I kicked him – hard – in the solar plexus to force him away from me. I hope my heel didn’t break anything.* (At least it wasn’t a boot to the head, I internally snickered.)

I bounced in place in case he tried anything, but he just coughed and gasped there on the ground. I knew a proper hit to the solar plexus could leave someone winded for ten, fifteen minutes, but sheesh. He should have been physically strong enough to take the kick. (My friends _(mine)_ had been hurt trying to break through his shield, so he only got minimal worry on my part.)

I finally deemed him a non-threat and picked up the Moon Stick. (Is its name actually Moon Stick? Or is it just the closest translation of its real name? I’ll have to ask Luna.) One more Moon Healing Escalation later, I had another unconscious Shitennou on my hands, groaning friends who got hit with their own attacks while I fought through my freezing at being grabbed, and Tuxedo Kamen running into the park since Zoisite’s shield dissipated.

“Hey,” I called him tiredly. “You wanna take care of Zoisite? Since you’re, you know, his Prince?”

He caught me in a hug instead of answering. “You’re okay?”

I felt a warm feeling spread through me at his concern. I hugged him back briefly. “Hey, I’m fine. This kind of thing was the reason I learned Taekwondo, you know.” Feeling energized, I drew back and hurried to check on my friends. “How are you guys? I hope you didn’t hit yourselves too hard.”

“Shut up, baka-Usagi,” Rei-chan groaned as she sat up.

“I’m fine, Usagi-chan,” Makoto-chan grinned as she hopped on her feet. “A little electricity can’t do me any harm.” Dubiously I eyed the growing, reddening marks on her limbs and face.

“Can I try something?” Ami-chan asked, and once she received nods from the other two, called out: “Mercury Healing Mist!”

For me the mist felt refreshing, but as I hadn’t been injured, I really couldn’t tell you its potency, but Rei-chan’s minor burns and Makoto-chan’s blooming electric marks disappeared. Both of them relaxed as their pains vanished.

I threw my arms around Ami-chan and squealed. “That’s new! I’m so proud of you!”

Ami-chan blushed happily as Rei-chan and Makoto-chan praised her efforts. I glanced over at Tuxedo Kamen who had Zoisite hanging over his shoulder. He gave me a two finger salute as goodbye and disappeared over the closest building’s roof.

I stood there, staring after him.

He’d hugged me. After three weeks of nothing, he’d hugged me, and I… I wanted more.

Would he have the time for another movie not-date during winter vacation? _Beauty and the Beast_ had finally premiered.

I bit my lip in indecision. Or, would it be cruel to inflict my presence on him while being only friends?

“You really don’t leave much room for dramatic entrances, do you, Sailor Moon?”

All five of us, Luna included, whirled toward the voice.

All we could see was the silhouette of a long haired girl in a sailor fuku and a cat against the rising, nearly full moon. Before we could react more, they jumped down. (I wonder if the Enemy kept any eye on the lunar calendar at all? Yesterday would have been full moon, but also lunar eclipse? I spent half-an-hour in a complete daze and wouldn’t have noticed the house burning down around me, much less screams from a youma attack or people falling unconscious. Today I was in fine form and recovered from yesterday’s unpleasantness.)

I slapped a hand over my mouth just a second too late, blurting out: “I told you Sailor V was one of us!” I didn’t mean to say that. Those are some terrible first words. I guess I should be thankful this isn’t a “soulmate’s first words” AU. Though… come to think of it, I don’t remember there having been any SI stories paired with any other trope. No SI coffee shop or soulmate AUs with reincarnated SIs… Probably for the better… “Sorry, that was rude.”

Venus laughed, and it sounded refined. Like the laugh of a Princess.

Right. She was the body double. The fake Queen to my Padmé. I’d forgotten that was her role. And they were… baiting the Dark Kingdom. Of course.

“It’s no trouble,” she said approached. She laid a hand on my head in a comforting manner. “You’ve done well so far, Sailor Moon.”

It was strange for a second. Only mama and very, _very_ occasionally Chiba-kun or Motoki-oniisan pat my head. But… her aura was so warm… like a blanket and hot chocolate on a rainy autumn evening. Nothing would touch me as long as this girl was around.

(I wanted nothing to happen to her either.) (Inside, I burned hotter.)

‘*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’

My stomach growled, but luckily I was the only one to hear it over the crowd. It was closing to dinner time, and I’d have to head home soon. Christmas dinner with family was kind of a tradition, and mama would not hear otherwise unless an enemy attacked. Going out with my friends was not a suitable excuse. Mama said I could skip family Christmas dinners when I had a boyfriend. (I’d corrected her to say that I’d skip it when I was in a romantic relationship, because of all she knew, my romantic partner could have been a girl. Mama raised a skeptical eyebrow at me. “It could be,” I grumbled. I labeled myself bi-romantic demisexual in this life after some thought about how my feelings were different from before when I was definitely ace. But yeah, Chiba-kun existed and my awakening libido and romantic feelings were definitely pointing his way.)

I tried to be stealthy as I checked my watch, but when I looked up, Rei-chan caught my eye.

“It’s half-past six already,” I sighed and we stopped by a colorfully decorated shop window. “I have to go soon. Family stuff.”

“Yeah us too,” Minako-chan said and scratched Artemis under his chin. “We should meet up tomorrow to talk about the Enemy.”

“Yeah! And do some group training!” Mako-chan agreed enthusiastically.

“The shrine will be busy with Christmas visitors and then New Year’s visitors, so I might have to miss some of it,” said Rei-chan with a grimace.

“I’m visiting my dad for the winter vacation, in Niigata,” confessed Ami-chan. “I can still make it tomorrow and the day after, but then that’s it for me until January 7th.”

I sighed. “I can’t even make it tomorrow,” I confessed. “We’re leaving for yearly family reunion in Kinosaki and won’t be back until January 5th. But I’m just a communicator call away? And I’m pretty sure Ami-chan teleported to me once? What’s up with that? Is it something we can all learn, like hammer space?”

“Sailor teleport is only for most dire of situations!” Luna protested.

“And if I’m in Kinosaki and there is a youma attack here, it’s a dire situation,” I countered immediately. Because _teleportation_. Do you know how much time is wasted on commutes by the average worker every year? I don’t mean walking or biking to school, but anything longer than half-an-hour is just unhealthy and unproductive, especially since it has to be done both ways. “I mean, you girls could totally take on a youma and destroy it, but the Shitennou? We’re trying to save them, not kill them.”

“Hey, it’s okay,” Minako-chan stepped in and took my hand in hers. “We could trap Kunzite if it came to it.”

“And Kishiou-teme and the others would probably help,” added Rei-chan, bumping my shoulder. “You know they want all of them safe and sane.”

“But Ami-chan and I are the only ones who can heal, what if you get hurt?” They were mine, mine to protect and care for. Them getting – _and staying_ – hurt because I might not be there… it rankled. That reminded me. “Oh! I made you all Christmas presents!”

I took out the presents from my hammer space, reaching into my bag as a cover from the unsuspecting pedestrians around us. I gave each of them to their intended recipient. Ami-chan doled out her own presents too, mine was a cute pink one. The others hadn’t thought about presents, which, fair, it wasn’t common to give friends Christmas gifts, those were usually given at New Years, but Ami-chan and I were never in Tokyo for New Years and had last year decided on Christmas presents instead. We reassured our friends that they were gifts and therefore not reciprocal. With a tight hug to everyone and a promise of ryokōmiyage*, I waived goodbye and headed home for some fried chicken and strawberry sponge cake.

‘*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’*’

My internal clock woke me up briefly in the morning, but I just cuddled Shingo closer and curled back up on the living room couch. Christmas mornings were meant for sleeping in (unless you were part of the Anglo-Saxon culture and opened Christmas presents on Christmas morning rather than Christmas Eve or some other denomination that opens Christmas presents some other time, like epiphany. You do you, but my Christmas mornings are for sleeping).

I woke properly a few hours later and left my little brother still snoozing. Papa was doing a half day at the office today so that we could take the train out to Masao-ji’s onsen in Kinosaki and arrive at a somewhat respectable time. Mama was in the kitchen, fully dressed and packing us food for the long trip. Two-and-a-half-hours on the Shinkasen to Kyoto, and then renting a car, because on average, the train trip from Kyoto to Kinosaki was between nine and ten hours, and by car somewhere around three hours. With any luck, we’d be there by dinner.

“Good morning Usagi-chan.”

“Morning,” I yawned. “Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas,” mama returned my holiday greeting. “Is Shingo-chan still asleep?”

I mumbled an affirmative and reached for my tea. I also stole a sandwich for breakfast, because I had no patience for cooking today and mama was busy. Mama huffed but left me to my breakfast.

“You were talking in your sleep again,” mama said with a smile.

I perked up. I’ve been talking in my sleep since I was little. Mama still cooed over the stories of how I recited the multiplication tables when I was eight, and the time I sang in English about the periodic table to the tune of Offenbach’s Can-Can when I was eleven.* Apparently I named some elements still lacking names… “Oh? What was it this time?”

“Endymion.”

Mama timed it perfectly, and I chocked on my tea.

“O-oh?” I managed between coughs. “What, what about him? It. What about it?”

“Him, hmm~? Is this the same Endymion as in your stories?”

Sometimes mama is just too observant.

To avoid the oncoming interrogation I crammed the rest of my sandwich in my mouth, drank the rest of my tea and retreated.

“’M gon’a pa’!” I called as I sprinted up the stairs. I had packing to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Taekwondo concentrates mainly on kicks. Honestly, I just picked taekwondo because I like the sound of it. In 'verse explanations range from other local dojos being sexist, to Usagi thinking it might be better to kick instead of punch because she might need her hands for holding things before she found out about the hammer space.  
> *ryokōmiyage - small gifts bought for friends, family and colleagues from trips out of town, basically souvenirs  
> *The Periodic Table song by AsapSCIENCE


End file.
